Big Brother, Little Sister
by MelTheAngryVegan
Summary: Pitch Black has a plan to return to power, to put an end to those feeble guardians and especially that insufferable Jack Frost. However, why does Jack find his younger sister trapped in the middle of a pond in Burgess? Is Pippa's return to the living a gift, a miracle; or a trap and a curse? Either way, he must protect her and find out why Pitch did this before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

**So I went to see Rise of the Guardians on opening day and have been freaking out about it ever since. I really wanted to write a fanfic for it, so here it is! I'll try and update this with my HetaOni story around the same time, though the next chapter for Through The Hourglass will take a bit longer to get up than expected. ;u; Sorry about that, and thank you guys for being so patient during my hiatus! It might be up today if I get time, though~**

**This takes place a few years after the movie, by the way. Also I hope I didn't make this chapter too intense or anything... This is my first time writing any of these guys :/**

**Feedback is appreciated, so leave a review if you want to tell me what you think~**

* * *

At the edge of the pond, a very familiar pond, there stood a foreboding figure cloaked in inky black who seemed to flicker between visible and invisible in the dark shadows of the night.

The moon was high in the sky, reflection shining down on the always-frozen pond. The dark man approached the pond and with slight caution proceeded to cross onto it, tiptoeing lightly, just in case. He scoffed at the ghost image of the moon on the ice.

"You know, if you really did care you would make more of an effort to stop me. You would have made more of an effort to help him, to save him." he comments idly, staring down at his nails as if they were more interesting than his current conversation.

"But no,being righteous and fair to those who need it isn't really your thing, is it, _Manny?_" The name comes out like poison on his tongue, a terrible aftertaste one would wish to rid themselves of. He straightens his posture, his crude expression, letting it turn into that calm, deceiving smile again.

"This time it will cost you dearly. And Jack Frost," he said the name with a mocking laugh, "isn't going to be any help. You can hire as many guardians as you like. There is no stopping me this time."

Black begins to swirl around his heels and he grins maliciously as it spreads out over the surface of the lake. Overhead, in the sky, clouds begin to block out the view of the moon. This was it. Pitch would return, he would rise again. And no little mischievousness winter spirits or fancy bunnies or teeth collecting fairies or sword-wielding masters with stupid accents or even his goody two-shoes _brother _was going to get in his way.

The blackness thickened into a sort of fog and the ice cracked- a body began to rise from the crevasse, suspended in the air by tendrils of night.

Pitch smiled as the dark dissipated back to his cloak and the ice reformed; the girl was gently set atop the pond, long brown strands of hair covering her face. She wore a simple brown dress with boots and next to her lay a sort of warm-looking poncho, one he knew she would recognize. That would give her quite the fright when she woke up.

"Your move, Manny." he called cheerfully to the clouds that concealed the glowing orb in the sky as Pitch once more disappeared into the darkness, leaving young Pippa Frost subconsciously shivering in the cold while she laid on top of the ice.

* * *

Jack Frost's day had started out normally. He had woken up in the North Pole, specifically the room North offered to him where he was allowed to come and go as he pleased. It was nice, especially when he needed someone to turn to and finally had a home to do just that.

He would grab a quick breakfast, freeze some elves and mess with a few yetis before he was out the door and circling the world, delivering snow to everyone who wanted it and everywhere that needed it.

Soon once again, he found himself in his hometown, Burgess. He had visited here often, it being the town where he first woke up when he became Jack Frost and all. He watched over the town for many long years, looking after every resident and anyone who was just visiting.

Plus, Jamie Bennet, his first-ever and current believer resided in the town with his mother and younger sister, Sophie. It seemed like just the other day Jamie and his friends helped him defeat Pitch, but they were both getting older. Jamie was going to enter middle school and Sophie was already seven years old.

He knew they were growing up, but he didn't acknowledge it; partly because they would always be the same little kids who believed in him and partly because he didn't want to suddenly realize one day they had grown up and no longer believed, no longer saw him.

Jack smiled as he zipped through the town with a laugh, Freezing the road, sidewalks and cars as he passed.

That was when he heard a cry for help and it was enough to make him freeze midair while the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

He paused, all other mayhem in the world briefly forgotten. Then he heard it again. A faint voice crying for help. His eyes flicked to the direction of where it was coming from. The woods.

"Shit!" he cursed aloud, and immediately propelled himself towards the forest and started moving through the trees to find the source of the voice. Children knew that frozen ponds were dangerous, right? Still, one way or another, he couldn't always save them. No one had been able to help him get drowning boys and girls out of the lake and he simply had to watch as they turned colder and colder, until at last, their heartbeats stilled and they moved no more.

He vowed to never let that happen again. Not as long as he was Jack Frost, a Guardian, and protector of children.

Jack finally happened upon the pond and immediately flew over. A young girl with dark brown hair was seated in the middle of the pond, softly crying into her hands. An overzied poncho was draped over her shoulders, threatening to slide off from how badly her whole body was shaking. She raised her head and screamed, "HELP ME!"

She didn't understand why she was here again; at this pond. She didn't know why she was even alive. But even worse, she was back at the place her brother died. What sort of cruel demon had done this to her? And why?

The yell sent chills down Jack's spine, enough so to make him stumble and almost fall onto the ground. He gently walked over, tiptoeing onto the ice, frost covering wherever he stood.

"Hey," he called gently, tapping the ice with his staff. "over here."

The girl did not look and it irritated him greatly. He tried again, letting frost cover more of the ice and begin to glide over cracks that were underneath the brunette. She noticed, finally, and blinked away her tears.

A small hand reached out and brushed against the intricate pattern. A strange smile graced her lips and she let a soft laugh escape her, more tears filling her eyes. To Jack, it was one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard. And upon hearing her laugh, it triggered something in him.

This girl, she looked so familiar to him, but yet he couldn't quite place who she was. He couldn't grasp the memory no matter how fiant it was. He stared hard at her, at her long hair and brown eyes-

It finally hit him.

The memory of his death came rushing back to him; he had forgotten about it so long ago, because it had not been necessary for him to think about and he tried to avoid it whenever he could.

This little girl was the same from his memory. This little girl was his sister.

"Pippa," he muttered. He wasn't sure where the name came from but he knew it was hers.

But why would she be here? Was it a trap? Was it Pitch's doing? Jack looked around warily but there was no one there. He couldn't sense anyone else's presence either. Either way, it didn't matter. If it wasn't his sister in the end-but he was more positive than anything that she was- he would manage to save a life at the very least.

His attention turned back to the little girl and he carefully walked across the ice to her, frost spreading out from under his feet as he did. Pippa noticed and blinked rapidly a few times, shivering and wiping her eyes. She recognized the pattern, she had seen it in the town and on the pond and trees and ground after Jack died. There had always been frost around her, it seemed to follow her at her heels. Of course this annoyed her to no end, and was actually a bit scared.

After the incident with Jack she had barricaded herself in her room for days, weeks. When her mother finally got her to go outside, she went to the lake. She noticed, yes, she noticed the beautiful floral-like design of the frost. And she did think that it might be someone or something following her and trying to reassure her or at least find out why she looked so sad.

Pippa blinked when more frost began to spread across the small pond. She smiled just a tiny bit, finding the pattern fascinating as she always did. Jack's heart nearly broke and he got a bit closer until he was kneeling beside the young girl, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Her head snapped up at the sudden chill and she looked around until her eyes finally made contact with Jack's. His heart seemed like it was going to beat right out of his chest. Pippa was staring intently at his blue eyes, at his face, everything about him.

He looked so familiar, oh God, and somehow she think he was the reason she was here again, wherever this was in whatever time in whatever world. Happiness filled her heart and she choked out a sob, reaching her arms out to him. "Jack-"

Before he could even embrace her in return and before either of them had time to react, the ice under them broke; whether it was some cruel fate designed to happen or Jack just didn't think it would. They both fell into the frigid water and began to sink.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Wow thank you guys so much for all that feedback! u ; You guys are so awesome, seriously, thank you. Anyways, here is the next chapter! It's kinda confusing... but that's cause it's only the second chapter... and it will all be explained later... OTL xD If you guys really need an explanation on anything, just ask, and I'll try and give it to you without giving any spoilers~**

**Oh, btw, the next chapter of Through The Hourglass should also be up today. It's longer than the ones I've been posting lately uwu**

**Don't forget to review on your way out!**

* * *

Jack knew he was drowning. And he wasn't worried or scared. This had happened to him before, and for some reason, he felt absolutely no panic. Though he did wonder why he was drowning. He'd been comforting the little girl just a second earlier-

With a start, he remembered Pippa. His eyes snapped open and he frantically searched the water for his younger sister, and spotted her several yards below him, her eyes closed as if she were peacefully sleeping.

Oh God did it scare him.

He frantically swam deeper until at last his arms circled around her small form. She seemed to respond by pressing herself just a bit closer. Good. At least she was responding. But for how long?

Struggling, Jack swam to the top, head finally bursting through the top of the hole they'd fallen through. Coughing and hacking, he threw his sister onto the ice. She slid and tumbled down the surface until finally stopping when she hit a snowbank on the edge of the pond.

He smiled weakly, coughing hard as shivers wracked his body. Well, that wasn't good. Jack Frost wasn't supposed to shiver. Ever.

His eyes swept across the surface of the pond, looking for his staff. "Wind, give me my staff," he called weakly, trying to get himself out of the water. He only slipped and fell right back in with a yelp. He thought he heard another scream mixed with his.

Jack's body felt so heavy and he was struggling to stay conscious now. Wherever his staff was, he was too weak to summon it. He'd have to look for it. He couldn't find his staff, he had to find it he was drowning and he refused to let this happen again-

But he was so out of breath, it felt like his lungs were going to burst. He fought against the temptation to open his mouth, because he would only breathe in water and his situation would get worse.

Jack's eyes scanned the water again and again but he couldn't find his staff. Where the hell was it? Too late did he realize that it was on the surface of the pond. He must have left it there when he went over to Pippa.

He opened his mouth and screamed in frustration, water filling his lungs. He tried coughing to expel the water from his body but he only ended up swallowing more and more, suffocating him.  
He weakly pushed himself to the top of the pond, hands searching for the hole he'd fallen through. Shit, he couldn't die like this. He wouldn't die like this! Besides, he was immortal, wasn't he? He couldn't die... it was impossible for him to die...

His hand finally broke through the surface, but his eyes were closing, and fast. Jack felt so tired, so tired, he just let his body win and his hand sank back under, falling unwillingly into unconsciousness.

**.~*~.**

As soon as Pippa landed on the ice and skidded into the snowbank, it was enough to bring her consciousness back. She shivered and struggled to stand up, coughing and brushing the hair out of her eyes.

Moments ago, she'd been sitting in the middle of the pond with Ja-no, with this stranger, she reminded herself. And then she heard a horrible cracking sound and everything turned blue, then black.

But where was the stranger? Pippa turned just in time to see the boy slip and fall back underwater. She let out a scream and was about to run onto the ice and grab his hand but the poor girl stumbled back before even taking one step onto the ice.

Tears filled her brown eyes and she cursed her weakness. She looked around frantically for something to help get him out of the lake. She screamed again when something collided with her back, followed by a strong gust of wind, sending her sprawling onto the ice.

Pippa's whole body trembled and she looked to see a staff with a crooked end lying a few feet away from her. It looked just like Jack's staff... her eyes widened and she carefully crawled towards it on her belly, fear increasing that the ice would give way any moment.

But it didn't. She reached the stick and grasped it firmly. Once she did, a blue light shot from it and she screamed again, almost dropping the stick in surprise. But instinct commanded her grip to tighten, and a strange frost spread over the staff, and across her fingers.

She shivered at the cold and glanced back at the hole in the ice. Pointing the shepherd's crook out in front of her, ice shot from the tip and began to cover the pond, thickening the ice. Now she could walk across with no problem.

Pippa raced over to the hole without a second thought, scanning the water for any sign of her brother and ignoring the pain of the cold biting at her. Now that she was out of the water, it was getting harder and harder to ignore that.

Then she saw it. She saw a hand just barely near the surface, and it was sinking fast. Panicking, she thrust the staff into the grip of the hand, trying to will the boy's grip around it.

And by some miracle, the grip did tighten around the staff and she sobbed with relief. Mustering all the strength she could, she pulled hard at the staff, trying to yank the boy onto the surface of the pond.

Pippa's feet began to slide closer to the hole, and she did all she could not to be pulled back under. The boy was so heavy, though! But she had to get him out. She wouldn't let it be like last time. No.

With a yell of frustration, but determination, she heaved him onto the ice and fell back, her head hitting the frozen pond with a loud thud. The young girl heard distinct coughing and it cheered her up greatly.

She sat up, placing weight on her palms, and stared at the stranger. He was doubled over, coughing and hacking water from his lungs. But it turned to ice as soon as it exited his mouth. She blinked curiously.

The boy finally raised his head to look at her, eyes weak and tired. They were a brilliant crystal blue, but somehow they didn't seem so blue to her. They seemed brown. They looked just like Jack's no matter what color they were.

Tentatively, Pippa crawled closer, eyeing the staff. They both reached out for it at the same time. When the pair of hands grasped it, blue sparks shot out of it. She recoiled, edging away uncertainly, but the boy nodded encouragingly, motioning her forward with the motion of his hand.

She shimmied her way back over, staring at him breathlessly. She reached out to touch his skin, and it was colder than ice. She shivered, and so did Jack; but for an entirely different reason. The warmth of the touch was enough warmth to last him a lifetime. He'd never gotten used to physical touching.

"J-Jack?" The question snapped him out of his daze. He stared at her hard, noting the hopeful tears in her eyes that looked like they would freeze at any given moment.

And he swallowed hard, the lump in his throat refusing to go down. He gingerly brushed some hair from her face and nodded. "Y-yeah," he choked out. He stared at her hesitantly, wanting to ask what her name was, who she was, and why she was here. The ice suddenly groaned again and Pippa flinched away. He scooped her up in one arm, holding his staff with the other.

He carefully edged away from the hole where the water was churning fast, turning into an inky black color. "Jack-" she whispered, tiny form trembling as she clung to him tighter.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here." he promised, nodding to himself in confirmation. Something was wrong with the pond... and he had to find out what it was.

"Don't let go of me, okay? Just hang on. I'm gonna try something." He tapped his staff against the ice, hoping to spread frost over it. It only cracked the ice more. He felt his own hand trembling along with Pippa. Why wasn't it working now?

"Wind, take us home!" he commanded, holding onto Pippa tighter as he prepared to take flight. There was no wind. He shook his head, bewildered, taking a nimble step back. "Something's not right... I... we need to get out of here." he said.

Pippa merely nodded and hugged him tighter. "Where are we going?" she asked softly.

Jack thought over the question as he took a few more steps and finally, leaped to shore with a yelp. Stumbling, he nearly dropped his sister and fell on top of her. If he couldn't fly anywhere from here, his _home_, he doubted it would work anywhere else in Burgess. He would have to wait for help. Wait for the other Guardians to catch wind of what was happening. Until then, he would just have to find someone to stay with.

He smiled a little and patted his sister's head as he started walking. "We're gonna go visit one of my friends."


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next chapter~! Anyways, I thought I was gonna finish this earlier, but then I got sick. And also, can you guys pray or something for the victims of the shooting in Conneticuit? It would be great. They need all the help they can get.**

**On a side note, wow! You guys have given me lots more feedback (again) and it's just really great. Makes me so happy durr huur **

**Also, you all need to go watch The Hobbit.  
**

**_Now. _  
**

**xD Drop a review on your way out to tell me what you think~**

* * *

If one thing was for sure, it was that Jamie hated school.

He had began to be excited at the beginning of the year at the prospect of going into seventh grade. He thought a change would be good for him, and his mother was delighted by his enthusiasm. He had such high hopes for the new school year.

but God, was he ever wrong to get his hopes up. The kids he thought he knew in sixth grade had completely changed. They were swearing and screaming in the halls, bugging everyone and annoying teachers, and begin complete... well... bad words. He solemnly refused to swear like the rest of those heathens. Plus his mom would ground him if she found out but it wasn't like he was a sissy or even cared about that at all. Nope.

Sighing, as his teacher droned on, his gaze began travelling to the window. He stared dreamily at the sky, wishing that it would start snowing. Something to take his mind off everything.

That was the other downside. Jamie hadn't been able to see Jack in quite a while. He assumed that it was because he was busy with all his new Guardian duties. But still, it put a damper on his spirits.

He had been staring at the window for a long while now, and was imaging Jack standing there, waving at him, trying to get his attention... tapping the glass and frowning... banging on it with one fist and shouting while holding a brown-haired girl with his free arm... Wait, where on earth did the girl come from?

"Jamie!"

"H-huh- what?" he stuttered, turning to his teacher, who had smacked his desk harshly with a ruler. "I-I mean, what is it Mr. Spreigl?"

The man crossed his arms and frowned. "Get to work, Jamie. Finish your map."

Jamie nodded distractedly, face turning red when he heard the class laughing at him while he fumbled to get out his map. They were mapping out all the capitals in the United States. His classmates were shushed with a look from the teacher and everyone went quietly back to work.

Jamie stole a glance back at the window and sure enough, Jack was standing there, holding the girl in his arms. She had her face pressed against the window, staring in wonder at all the people and things in the room.

Jack breathed heavily on the glass and wrote with his finger, "I need your help. What time does school end?"

Jamie turned to the clock. He turned to Jack and mouthed, "!5 minutes".

Jack frowned and wrote back, "I need your help now!"

Jamie frowned and pointed at the clock insistently.

Jack kept writing "NOW" all over the window, sending irritated glares at Jamie while he did. Jamie groaned, his head hitting the desk. His teacher looked up from where he was typing and asked, "Is there a problem, Jamie?"

Jamie's head snapped up, earning more laughs from his classmates. "No, um, no Mr. Spreigl." His teacher gave him an annoyed look, but otherwise said nothing.

Jamie turned back to the window, where Jack was sending him another annoyed glare, and beginning to doodle an unflattering picture of a dinosaur eating the teen. Jamie rolled his eyes and went back to his map. Jack would have to wait. After all, he had to pick up Sophie after school as well.

Jack frowned as Jamie turned back to his work. In all actuality, fifteen minutes wasn't all that long. But he felt like he really couldn't wait. He glanced down at his sister-she was, wasn't she?- who was peering through the window, marvelling at everything in the classroom.

"Wow... I've never seen anything like it! Jack, it's-" she turned to him, and her smile fell. She shook her head and turned away. "N-no... I'm sorry... you're not my brother..." Or rather, she wasn't sure if he was her brother or not.

Jack leaned against his staff with a shrug, looking his sister over. Yes, she was definitely the girl from his flashback. "On the contrary, I think I am..." At the hopeful glint in her eyes, he continued, "I mean, I'm not sure. But you were in my memory... Y'see, I don't really remember much about my past... before I became this." He gestured to himself, specifically his white hair and blue eyes.

Pippa nodded slowly, staring at Jack. She really did believe he was her brother. She had no idea how or why she was here, in this world at this time, but she knew it had to do with Jack. She was snapped out of her thoughts by Jack, ho said, "But if you want, then... you can call me brother and stuff... or, whatever... I-I mean I'm pretty sure we're related anyways..."

The more words tumbled out of Jack's mouth, the more Pippa's eyes shined with hope and happiness. She lunged forward, tackling her brother into a tight hug.

Which probably wasn't the best idea, seeing as they were on the roof of the school.

Jack yelped as they started sliding down the roof of the school. Pippa realized this and let out a scream as well. Jack shook his head and hugged her close, trying to use his staff to ground them on the roof. "Don't, they'll hear you!" He knew Jamie would probably be the only one who heard Jack, but anyone could easily see Pippa.

He had to get her to a safe place. They fell off the roof and Jack just barely managed to get them both to land in a snow bank. He groaned as he climbed out of the snow, rubbing his, now extremely sore, back. "Ah... crap..." He glared sternly at Pippa, who looked like she was struggling to hold in giggles. "That wasn't funny!" He tapped her on the head with his staff, and a few snowflakes fell on her head. She giggled and brushed her hands through her hair.

Jack stood up and skidded off the snow bank, grabbing his little sister's hand at the same time. "Come on. Let's get you some place hidden while I wait for Jamie."

.~*~.

The school bell rang, and with it, came a stampede of children eager to escape the confines of school and go back to their homes. Jamie was one of the first kids to get out, knowing he had to find Jack right away. And almost immediately he saw the girl Jack had been carrying. She kind of looked like him, in a way. Mostly the smile. Even if it wasn't as mischievousness as Jack's.

She was bouncing on her heels, looking in amazement at everything around her. He ran over to Jack, who grinned and clapped him on the back. "Come on, let's go pick up Sophie, squirt." Jamie rolled his eyes and laughed, elbowing Jack in the side playfully. "Hey, don't go around jabbing thin air." he scolded. Face front, pretend you're talking to Pippa while we walk."

Jamie frowned. "Who-" The girl took a step forward towards him, shyly, with the encouraging hand of her brother pushing her forward. "Oh... you're Pippa?" She nodded, brushing the bangs from her face. Jamie smiled and extended his hand. Pippa stared at it in confusion before she finally realized what to do, and put her hands in his for the obligatory introductory handshake. "I'm Jamie Bennet. Nice to meet you."

The brunette nodded, smiling. "I'm Pippa. Pippa Frost."

Jamie's eyebrows raised and he glanced at Jack, who shook his head and mouthed, "Later". The teen nodded and dropped his hand, adjusting the straps of his backpack. "Alright. Let's go pick up my sister."

Pippa frowned. "Jack? What do you mean talking to thin air? You're right here, aren't you?" She tugged his hoodie sleeve as proof.

Jack grimaced and looked away to hide it before turning back to her with a smile, patting her head fondly. "I'll tell you later, okay? The girl eventually nodded, though the frown didn't disappear. Jack looked over at Jamie and let a grin light up his face. He hadn't seen him in quite a while, and it would be good for the two of them to catch up, now that they had the time.

"So, how've you been, squirt?"

Jamie rolled his eyes at the nickname and shrugged. "Eh. It's been okay."

Jack internally wince, adding a reminder to himself that it seemed to be a touchy subject.

"Okaaay... well, how about Sophie? She been doing well?"

Jamie nodded, a grin lighting up his face. "Yeah. She misses you and Bunny a lot."

Jack snickered. 'I don't get how anyone could miss that kangaroo."

They arrived at Sophie's elementary school a few minutes later. The schoolgrounds were mostly empty, the kids already having been picked up by their parents. but under a large oak tree sat Sophie. A sketchbook was propped up against her knees, and she was scribbling with a look of determination.

"Hey, Sophie!" Jamie called as he ran over to his younger sister. "Look who came to visit us!"

Sophie looked up from her doodling, long blond hair covering her face. She brushed it away to get a better glimpse at the visitor, and her face broke into a wide grin. She quickly shoved her sketchbook and pencil into her backpack and raced over, tackling him into a hug.

"Jack!" she shrieked with delight, face buried in his torso, despite the chill. "You're finally back! I thought you were gone forever!"

Pippa looked on at the two of the with a strange sense of jealousy, but it was quickly washed away. She was happy just to be with Jack right now, to be in the same world as him... even if it confused her. She was snapped out of er thoughts by Sophie's voice.

"Who're you?" she inquired brightly.

Pippa blinked and then smiled softly. She said, "I'm Pippa Frost, Jack's sister."

The little blonde's eyes widened and a surprised smile broke onto her face again. "you're his sister?" She turned to Jack and declared accusingly, "You never told me you had a sister!" before turning back to Pippa and saying in awe, "That's so cool! You're so pretty too! Ever had a boyfriend? I bet Jamie'd like to be your boyfriend-"

"Hey!" Jamie interjected, face bright red. Jack laughed and ruffled Sophie's hair.

"C'mon, don't overwhelm her." He shook his head fondly. "Why don't you show Pippa your drawings, Soph? I gotta talk to Jamie about something." Sophie nodded eagerly and, taking Pippa's hand, dragged her back to the tree she was at and began flip through her drawings.

Jack laid a hand on Jamie's shoulder and knelt down to meet his eye level. "Jamie, can Pippa stay with you for a while?"

Jamie frowned. "Stay with me? What for?"

Jack bit his lip and looked away. "I can't take her back to the Pole... for some reason, my powers aren't working. I can barely freeze anything and I can't fly. That's why I need her to stay with you guy until I find a way to fix this. Just... pretend she's Sophie's friend from school or something. Can you do that?"

Jamie frowned and bit his lip. "I dunno, Jack... my mom'll be pretty suspicious..." Jack's face began to fall, but Jamie quickly continued, "But that doesn't mean we can't try."

Jack grinned, pumping a fist in the air. "Awesome! then let's hurry up and go!"

The boys went back over to their sisters and began to guide them home, quietly plotting the whole way on everything they would have to do to make this plan foolproof.


	4. Chapter 4

Jamie and Sophie had managed to make arrangements for Pippa to stay with them for the time being, with much coaxing and pleading to their mother. Once they had arrived home, Sophie had taken Pippa's hand and led her into the living room immediately so that they could play together. Jack sat with them for a while, trying to explain things as best he could to Pippa with Sophie's help.

After a few hours, it was already dark and Jamie and his mother were making supper. Jack would have been out spreading snow by now, but the world deserved a small break. At least until he got his powers back. Then he'd be sure to give some damn good snow days for the kiddies. He was walking through the living room and kitchen, twirling his staff around, and stopped in the kitchen when he heard Jamie's mother mention his sister's name.

"Pippa is your friend's name, isn't Jamie?" His mother remarked as Jamie watched her stir a pot of pasta. He nodded. "It's quite the name in this town, you know. Been passed down generations... since the 1700s, I believe."

Jamie nodded and Jack's eyes widened in interest while he glanced back at his younger sister. She was sitting on the couch with Sophie, flipping through a picture book, while Sophie explained all the foreign terms as best she could to her new friend.

Pippa looked up and caught his eye. She grinned and he smiled softly back, before tuning back in to the conversation that Jamie and his mother were having. "How could a name be used that many times? I mean, like, why would people reuse if it's so old?"

"Oh, it's probably because of the accomplishments of the original owner of the name before it was passed down... or they were so special and so important to other people so that they decided to keep using the name."

Jamie hummed in thought as he set out the plates for his mother, sister, and their guest. "They must have been really important to someone." he repeated softly, gaze traveling to Jack.

Jack looked away, staff over his shoulder again. He didn't want to think about this right now. It was too confusing... he waved Jamie off and went walking around the house. Jamie called the two girls in the living room to dinner, and Jack reappeared.

While Pippa stared at the food on her plate uncertainly, Jack softly told her that it was okay and safe to eat. At the same time, he recommended different vegetables and fruits from what were laid out on the table, while Jamie's mother frowned and complained about the cold.

After dinner was finished, Jamie and his mother did the dishes while Sophie dragged Pippa back into the living room so that they could play with their dolls together. Pippa marveled at the quality of the dolls, admiring how life-like they seemed in comparison to her old toys. Not that she liked these better, no. She really missed her old toys.

Smiling, she hugged a Raggedy Ann doll to her chest. Sophie giggled and they started running around playing tag in the living room, while Jamie complained and did his homework. The kids' mother sat in a chair next to a lamp, reading a book and looking up to chuckle every so often.

Around nine'o'clock or so, Jamie's mother bookmarked her page and got up. "Alright kids, time for you to get into bed."

Sophie gaped at her parent. "But moooooooooom!" she whined. "It's winter break now! Can't we stay up tonight? I wanna show lots of stuff to Pippa! She hasn't even seen my Animal Crossing game or Pokemon!"

Her mother shook her head and sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Alright... you know what? You can stay up for a while. But you need to be in bed by the time Jamie finishes his homework."

Jamie looked up from where his math textbook and notebook where perched on his lap. He shrugged, a grin on his face. "This might take a while, mom. I have sooooo much homework."

Pippa and Sophie laughed in delight, and the mother smiled again and ruffled their hair, giving them each a kiss on the forehead before heading off to her room upstairs.

Once she was gone, Jamie set his homework down and jumped off the couch. "I finished a while ago." he said with a laugh. "Come on Jack, let's do something fun!" he prompted the older boy, who merely tapped his chin in thought.

"Well..." His eyes flickered to Pippa, who had been staring a Jamie worriedly as soon as the words left his mouth. He immediately knew what she was thinking of. When Jack had saved her from the ice. One of the last things he said before he finally fell under. _We're gonna have a little fun... _

He forced a smile and patted Sophie on the head, and clasped a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Well, first things first. You guys go find the most fun things you can think of and bring them back down here so we can all play together."

The Bennet siblings whooped quietly and raced upstairs. Jack turned to Pippa, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder and kneeling down to look her in the face. "Hey. You okay?"

She managed a timid nod, biting her lip. "Yeah... there's so many new things here. It's... kinda scary, you know?" Pippa brushed a few locks of her hair behind her ear. "But I'm... I'm glad you're here with me... and to help me..." She smiled up at him and then blinked in confusion. "Why didn't Jamie's mom see you, Jack? You were talking to me the whole time, and... she acted like you weren't even there!"

Jack winced and looked away. He knew he would have to tell Pippa sooner or later, but he much preferred telling her everything later. "Um... well, y'know, that's because-"

"Jack!" A voice called quietly. He peered over Pippa's shoulder at Jamie and Sophie, who had their arms full of stuffed animals, books, and games. He grinned and gave them a thumbs up.

Turning to Pippa, he said in an undertone, "I'll tell you as soon as I can. There's some stuff I gotta figure out for myself first, okay? If you can stay awake after they go to sleep, then I'll tell you." Looking disappointed, but otherwise determined, Pippa nodded. "Alright, good. Now..." he turned to Jamie and Sophie. "Let's have some fun."

**.~*~.**

North was pacing through his workshop worriedly, his footsteps causing loud thumps to sound as he did. There was only a week left until Christmas... and while that was so very troubling, another thought had formed in his mind.

Three days ago, Jack had left, informing North he was going to cook up some storms for the children before winter break. But still, he had not yet returned.

North knew it was a long journey, but not too long for Jack to make in less than a few hours. He should have been back already by now... he had promised to help him with Christmas preparations. He had been so excited for it.

He stroked his long beard contemplatively. It wasn't like Jack to miss out on anything fun that the Guardians ever planned, even if it was Bunny who planned it. Shaking his head and sighing, he got up and went over to the globe.

Recently, he had installed a few new features on the globe, so that it would be easier to track the other Guardians' movements (but it was mostly used for getting Jack out of trouble, since it seemed to follow the boy wherever he went), as well as Pitch's. Though he had not strayed from his layer for quite some time.

Flipping a switch on the control panel, the gold lights flickered for a moment before returning with full-force; followed by different colored dots here and there. Green was for Bunnymund, and he was currently in his Warren; Purple was for Toothiana, whose dot was constantly flickering around the globe because she had so many places to go all at once; Sandy's was orange, and sometimes blended in with the childrens' dots, but was fairly easy to find. He was currently on the job as well.

And as for Jack, well... North looked on the globe where Jack's glowing blue dot usually was, near the two of Burgess. He always came back to Burgess, sometimes more often than the North Pole. He loved to hang out with Jamie and Sophie. And it was the place of his birth, so it was an obvious attraction to him.

Though he hadn't been visiting there in the past few months since he had been so busy with everything. But it would make sense for him to be there now, what with all the work he'd finished, helping all the other Guardians with their jobs and then trying to finish his own blizzards and winters around the world where it snowed all year.

Sure enough, there was a bright blue dot marking where Jack was; at Burgess, predictably. North smiled, satsified, intending to give one of the others a call and send them after Jack. But suddenly, he noticed the dot next to him.

A small dot, obviously a child's was next to his; but it was not glowing gold, no. It was black, like an infection on the happy colors on the globe.

"Pitch." he whispered. Oh no, this was not good.

He immediately stormed away from the globe. Christmas was very important to him; after all, it was what made him a Guardian, and his own self. Butright now, he had to find Jack. He would get Bunny to fetch him and bring him back immediately, because for some reason, Jack hadn't come back on his own.

And he had a very bad feeling... in his belly.

* * *

**Heya guys! This is probably the last thing I'm gonna post, since I'll be going on a mini-hiatus because of Christmas. But I'll be back in a week or two, with new chapters for all my stories-and maybe even a new story! I put up a poll on my profile page, for the next story I'm gonna start, and I need everyone's opinon. It'll only take a sec to vote!**

**What would you rather have as the next story I post: A) A Hetalia/RoTG Crossover, or B) A Harry Potter/RoTG Crossover? I'll include a short synopsis of them in my bio later.**

**And again, thank you all so much for all the support and feedback you've given me for this story. I really appreciate it. :") Drop a review while you're on your way to the poll~**

**Happy Holidays to all!**

**EDIT: The poll is up on my profile page, with short summaries of the stories in my bio!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

After a long while of play, Jamie and Sophie and Pippa and Jack had settled down on the couch, flipping through different channels to see if anything was worth watching. Pippa cuddled right up to Jack, hugging his arm tightly and leaning her head against his shoulder.

It took a few moments for the contact to register, and when it did, he raised an eyebrow. "You aren't cold?" She absently shook her head, eyes focused on the magic little box with the funny yellow square dancing around.

Shrugging, he put his arm around his sister just to pull her a bit closer. It reminded him of nights where it was cold out and he would sit with her by the fireplace and he would give her his blanket and tell scary stories-

Jack rubbed his eyes. Where had that thought come from? Maybe he was just tired. Or maybe it was a memory. Either way, he sighed and leaned his head back on the couch to think over the day's events.

He had found his sister and somehow, he didn't have his powers. It was so weird. Because as much as he hated the thought, Pippa was supposed to be dead. But there she had been, sitting on the lake and crying...

And he had almost drowned, not knowing the reason why. He wasn't supposed to drown. He would touch water and it would freeze. But why didn't it happen? He should've been encased in ice, or something.

He'd been silent for so long, trying to sort out all of his thoughts, that he didn't notice Jamie and Sophie had finally fallen asleep. Jamie's head lay next to Pippa's, his limbs sprawled out, while Sophie's arms were linked around Jamie's waist and pulling him close to her.

Pippa was still awake, and looking eagerly up at Jack. Of course, she remembered the promise from earlier. Jack sighed and nodded, grabbing the remote and flipping off the television before turning to Pippa.

"You remember the day we went skating, right?" he asked in an undertone. Pippa managed a nod, though her face fell at the thought.

"Well," he said slowly, "When I woke up... it was cold... and it was dark... and I was scared." He took a deep breath. "But through the water, I saw the moon shining down at me, and it... it was beautiful. It spoke to me. It told me I was Jack Frost... and it told me to wake up... and that's all I've ever heard from him since..."

Jack ran a hand through his silvery white hair. "And all this time, I've been using these powers I have to bring winter to everyone in the world..." he sighed. "And no one has seen me for a long time... except for when Pitch showed up and the Guardians wanted me to be a guardian... and Jamie started believing in me..."

He looked down at Pippa who seemed to be absolutely confused. He laughed softly. "Don't worry, it'll make sense once I bring you back to the pole... then we can decide what to do."

She nodded slowly, not really satisfied with her self of how much of the explanation that she had understood. Jack patted the top of her head. "Come on, it's late. Get to bed."

Pippa mumbled something in reply and let her head rest on Jack's shoulder, eventually nodding off to sleep. Jack smiled a little and closed his eyes, finally letting sleep take him. Not noticing the small, thin stream of black sand travelling through the room directly towards his sister.

* * *

**Hey guys! I know this is short, but I wanted to get something up for the holidays. I meant to write more, but I've been sick ALL week... ;A; Anyways, keep voting on the poll so I can hopefully get enough votes to decide what I'll write by the end of all you guy had a great holiday! And don't forget to review~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long! My whole family got sick with the flu, including me... Dx But here is the next chapter! I had a lot of fun writing this! :O Also, keep voting on the poll for which crossover you want to be written! The poll will close on February 14th. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think! :D I love hearing feedback from you guys. You're awesome.**

**Now, without further ado, enjoy the chapter~**

* * *

Jack awoke to the sensation of something gritty running up his legs. Frowning, he scratched at it, thinking it was just Jamie's dog rubbing up against him. When it didn't go away -in fact, it traveled further up his leg - he opened his eyes just to see what it was.

He stared in wide-eyed shock at the stream of black sand coiling around his leg. Slowly, he reached for his staff, which was tucked on the armrest of the couch. Then, he carefully tried to pry it off.

Once he did it hardened into marble. Frustrated, it hit at it hard, but only caused a searing pain in his leg. "What the hell is this?" he demanded to no one in particular. But he knew that Pitch had to be hiding somewhere nearby if there was nightmare sand here.

A laugh echoed throughout the dark house and he shrunk back closer to his sister. "Oh Jack, innocent, naive Jack..."

"What do you want, Pitch?" he snapped, pointing his staff out at the shadow in the middle of the room, which started to take figure a second after he did. Another cold laugh was his reply.

Finally, the shadow took form, rising up several feet to form a figure; Pitch Black.

"Can't I just... come and visit? Say hello to an old friend?" He flashed his teeth in a cruel smile and Jack growled, waving his staff threateningly.

"Alright, hello. Now what do you want?" Jack repeated angrily.

Pitch regarded Jack with a look of disdain, but replaced it quickly with that ever-present toothy smile. "I've come to provide a little... insight, into your little predicament."

He made a point of pointing his finger at Pippa and Jack's blood ran cold. "Don't you dare touch her," he threatened in a low voice, still not wanting to wake up any of the sleeping children.

Pitch smiled and held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Then all you have to do is listen to what I have to say." He looked at Jack, who made no move other than gritting his teeth in frustration.

"Good boy," the Nightmare King approved with a vicious grin. He began to slowly pace, nightmare sand and shadows trailing behind him. "Now Jack, I suppose you're wondering why your dear, dear little sister is here with you..." He leered over her threateningly. When Jack tried to pull her closer, the sand around his leg tightened and he had to hold in a yelp of pain.

"And in all honesty, I wanted this charade to last a little longer... but I suppose I can tell you about it now..."

"Tell me what?" Jack scowled.

Pitch's grin widened. "That _I_ was the one who brought her back."

Jack's eyes went wide with confusion and shock; before he had even gotten a chance to take in the statement, Pitch continued. "Now, I know that you're suspicious as to why I would do such a kind thing... after all, we're enemies, aren't we?"

"Well, don't answer that." he said quickly, raising his hand and causing a stream of nightmare sand to lash out at Jack and wrap over his mouth. Two more strands constricted his arms and he let out muffled protests and weakly struggled. "It seems you're a bit... shall we say... tied up at the moment?" The Nightmare King laughed and began to pace again.

"Now... _dearest_ Jack... you may wonder how all of this ties in together. Why would I attack a Guardian when my powers are at an all time low? Well you see, the fear of a higher... or otherwise dead being, is much more potent than a simple living child." His golden eyes gleamed with malice. "And I think that you and your sister would be wonderful additions to my Fearling army."

That did it. Jack screamed against the gag and his staff started to glow again. He felt his power, his strength finally beginning to return to him. He felt a smirk begin to grow on his face-

-but the nightmare sand tightened around him viciously, seeming to sap out all his power. Weak and confused, his body slumped in the hold of the sand.

Pitch chuckled and walked towards him, lifting the boy's chin up with one long, bony finger. "Did you really think it was that easy?" he sighed sadly. "Your precious little lake is all filled up with nightmare sand... but you won't be sad for long. You and little Pippa will be in on the fun fairly soon."

_Whack!_

Pitch suddenly yelped in pain, moving away from Jack. Rubbing his sore back, he turned to face his assailant.

Little Sophie was standing behind him, looking fierce in her pajamas and pink fairy wings, all the while holding a baseball bat.

"What?" Pitch finally sounded out, staring in absolute confusion at the young girl.

Sophie whacked at his arm. "Leave Jack alone!" she yelled.

"Or _what_?" he growled threateningly, hovering over her, the shadows in the dark room bending to his will to make him seem all the more menacing.

Sophie didn't flinch. "Or I'm gonna beat you up, you big stinkhead!" She whacked at him again, hitting his arm, hard.

Jack could hardly believe his eyes. All the things that Pitch threatened him with seemed to be miniscule now. He renewed his struggling, all the more ready to get free.

The nightmare sand began to tighten around Jack again, but suddenly it began to glow. Pitch whirled around, and his eyes narrowed in anger. The sand turned to a fine, gold color before dispersing at Jack's feet.

He leapt to his feet, brandishing his staff at Pitch with one hand and shaking Jamie awake with the other. The young boy woke with a start, trying to get up.

"Jamie, I need you to get Pips out of here." he ordered, gesturing to his sister, who was also beginning to wake.

Jamie took a moment to take in the scene around him. He glanced worriedly at Sophie, who gave him a thumbs-up. Time was at a standstill and he managed a little smile, before taking Pippa's hand and dragging the groggy girl to her feet, past Jack and Pitch and Sophie and towards the door that led outside.

"Jack?" she called worriedly. She didn't get a chance to ask anything else before Jamie started running, shoving her out the door and out of the house with him.

Jack turned to Pitch, who was beginning to get very frustrated. "I will not be ignored!" he growled, nostrils flaring.

Sophie giggled and whacked him. He growled and snatched the bat out of her hand, tossing it to the other side of the room. She shrunk back a bit, but looked no less determined to give the Nightmare King a well-deserved beating.

"I've had enough of you... all of you!" he exclaimed, and reached out to grab Sophie's wrist.

"No!" Jack yelled. Before he could act, another stream of gold sand shot past Sophie, stopping Pitch from reaching her. She stared at it in fascination and gasped softly as it turned into butterflies and fluttered protectively around her.

Jack grinned, a round, gold figure materializing on the couch next to him. Pitch scoffed, rolling his eyes at him. "I'm not here to fight you, Sanderson."

Sandy frowned at Pitch and began to float over to him, different images appearing above his head. The two began to argue and Jack backed away from them, towards little Sophie. She looked at him questioningly. He held a finger to his lips and she nodded in understanding, returning the gesture with a silly grin.

Taking Sophie quietly up into his arms, he began to creep towards the door, supporting Sophie with one arm while the other held his staff. He began to reach for the doorknob-he was almost there-

-when a shot of nightmare sand flew past and almost hit his hand. He whirled back against the wall, his hold on Sophie tightening. "I wouldn't suggest opening that door." Pitch growled threateningly.

Jack gulped and tried to calm himself down. Tried not to think of all the possibilities of what could happen to him or Sophie or Jamie or his sister, even-

"You're afraid..." Pitch's voice rang out through the room, muffling all over sounds. Jack stared down at his shadow as it began to take form into something else. Sophie let out a whimper and curled up in Jack's arms. "Aren't you, Jack?"

A bright, gold arrow shot at the shadow which disappeared with a shriek. It rang out through the air and he suddenly found himself being shaken by Sandy. He conjured a picture of North's sleigh above his head, followed by an arrow pointing to the door.

Jack nodded in understanding and started out the door again, moving fast and holding Sophie tightly. "Don't worry Soph, we're almost there." he said reassuringly as he sped outside, Sandy right behind him. He spotted the sleigh in the sky, and eventually could make out the figures on it.

North was at the head, driving it; Bunnymund was slouching and he could tell even from far away that he was feeling sick; Tooth fluttering around excitedly as always; Jamie's familiar figure was peering over the edge in amazement; and Pippa was looking around as well, but more worriedly.

Her gaze traveled to the Bennet house and she saw Jack and Sandy outside. She waved emphatically, yelling something indistinct. Sandy began to fly towards the sleigh, and Jack had to take a moment to just stand there in amazement and happiness as he stared at the sleigh.

But he failed to notice the shadow creeping up behind him before Sophie screamed and pointed. In an instant, he jumped away, landing hard on his feet and several feet away from where the shadow was lingering.

The shadow began to crawl towards him at an agonizingly slow pace. He didn't know how much of his powers were back so that he could fight Pitch; would he risk bringing him back to the other Guardians and Jamie and his sister? And he still had Sophie with him.

Slowly beginning to sketch a mental plan to himself, he hugged Sophie tightly to his chest. "Hold on tight, Sophie... this is gonna be a bumpy ride." The other hand holding his staff in a vice-grip he concentrated to summon his strength for a moment.

His glance traveled to the woods, several blocks away, but still visible even at night. He shot towards them in an instant and the black sand leaped after him, the shouts of his friends' echoing through the quiet town of Burgess.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Here's another chapter~ I was able to get it up fairly quick, and I thought why not just post it early? You guys have been great readers, and thank you so much for all your continued support :) Also, tonight is opening night for the play I'm in! A collection of one-act plays put together involving aliens, cheerleaders, and/or zombies~**

**Keep voting on the poll, too, please~ And also, does anyone dislike ToothxJack or want it in the story? Because I have strong thoughts about putting them in here ;D**

**Anyways, here's the chapter! Leave a review and tell me what you think~**

* * *

Tooth had gotten to the North Pole as quick as she could when she saw the lights in the sky, signaling for all of the Guardians to gather. But she couldn't guess what would be wrong. The last few years had been quite peaceful, and she hadn't seen the lights since the fight with Pitch.

But wondering about everything would get her nowhere. She simply told her fairies to manage things while she was gone, and, accompanied by Baby Tooth, took off into the sky for the North Pole.

She arrived in a little under an hour, brushing snow out of her feathers and wing when she entered the workshop. She kindly waved to the Yetis and Elves as she did, who seemed to enjoy her cheerful presence. Tooth continued throughout the workshop until she reached the Globe Room. The rest of the Guardians, minus Jack, were standing around the Globe waiting for her.

"Sorry I'm late!" she called as she flew over. "The storm's pretty bad out there."

"Speaking of winter storms," Bunnymund narrowed his eyes and frowned, looking around the room. "Where'd Frostbite get off to?"

North turned his attention from the Globe back to his friends. "That, my fellow Guardians, is precisely why you are here."

Within a few minutes, they had gathered in a small, semi-circle with North explaining the spots on the Globe. "Are you sure there isn't something faulty with the Globe?" Tooth wondered. She wanted to rule out any and all possibilities of Pitch. "I mean, Pitch was pretty weak when we last saw him."

"We haven't seen him in years, Tooth," Bunnymund reminded her. "He could have been preparing a counter attack and been trying to rise up to power again."

Sandy frowned, shaking his head. Of course, the other Guardians knew that this was unlikely. Pitch couldn't have risen to power in a few short years, not after how long it took him to do it last time.

"That is not most important thing," North interrupted. "What I saw on Globe is what's troubling me."

He gestured to the Globe, flicking the switch to turn the Guardians' lights on. He rotated the view to where Jamie's house was located. There were two dots-one, bright blue and the other was black.

"Pitch," Tooth breathed quietly, breaking the silence.

Bunnymund frowned, a paw reaching for his boomerangs. "Why would Pitch be in Burgess?"

"Because Jack's there." Tooth said immediately. "He wants him for something. We just have to figure out what." She turned to the others. "Right?"

They were a little stunned at the sudden deduction, but the more they all thought it over, the more it all seemed to make sense. "Well then, what are we waiting for?" North clapped his big hands together with a grin. "Let's get to it!"

**.~*~.**

All of the Guardians loaded up and got into the sleigh; Bunnymund with a lot of protest and coaxing and promises of repayment in carrots from the others. North was finishing up with the Yetis, and Tooth and Bunnymund were talking.

"Do you really think that it's Pitch?" Bunnymund frowned.

"The Globe doesn't lie, Bunny." Tooth reminded him.

"Yeah, I know that, but..."

"But what?"

Bunnymund sighed, turning a boomerang over in his paws a few times. "I dunno. The whole thing seems pretty fishy to me. It's not like Pitch wouldn't go out of his way to annoy us... but I just don't like this. It all seems fishy!" he sighed, sinking back onto one of the wooden seats.

Tooth patted his shoulder consolingly. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out once we get there. If it really was a malfunction with the Globe... then great! We'll only need for Jack to explain to us why he was gone for a few days."

Sandy smiled at his friends, conjuring an image of Jamie above his head.

Bunnymund chuckled. "Think he went to visit the squirt, huh?"

Tooth giggled. "It's possible. You know how much time they like to spend together."

"True... hmm," The Pooka tapped his chin in thought. "I haven't seen the little ankle-biter in a while either."

"Sophie?" Tooth asked.

Bunnymund nodded. "Maybe I should say hello while we drop by."

Sandy grinned widely at that, playfully shoving Bunnymund's shoulder. "Hey! Watch it, mate!"

Tooth was also giggling behind her hand while North started to get in the front seat of the sleigh. "You're just a big softie, huh Bunny?"

"Keep quiet, you." he grumbled half-heartedly, looking away, the fur on his cheeks colored light pink.

Before Tooth could reply to that, North flicked the reins to get their attention. "Are we all ready to go now?" Tooth nodded; Bunnymund gripped the side of the sleigh tightly, already looking like he was going to be sick; Sandy gave two thumbs up and readied himself for the ride which he was bound to enjoy.

North cackled, throwing his head back and harshly flicking the reins again. It spurred the reindeer, who began to take off. "Fasten your seatbelts!" he yelled, "This is going to be one heck of a ride!"

With a final shout of protest from Bunnymund, the sleigh took off through the ice tunnel and into the sky; North held out the snow globe from his pocket, whispered "Burgess"; he threw it into the air and it formed a whirling portal that they raced through in a matter of seconds.

The sleigh slowed down out of the portal with a whoosh of energy, Bunnymund making a choked noise in the back of his throat. Sandy immediately sensed that something was wrong. He looked to Tooth and Bunny briefly before giving them a distracted nod and disappearing in a small cloud of gold dust.

"Where's he gone off to?" Bunnymund croaked out.

Tooth shrugged, staring at the place her friend had been moments ago. "I don't know..." Her attention was diverted by the sound of a door swinging open in the quiet night. She peered down at the ground to see two figures running from Jamie's house. It looked to be Jamie and another girl.

"North, down there!" she pointed.

Following her instructions immediately, North steered the sleigh to lower by the running children.

**.~*~.**

Jamie pushed Pippa hurriedly out of the house, knowing that they had to get as far away from the house as they could as fast as they could. He wasn't aware that he was running until Pippa was yelling at him to slow down, beating his shoulder with her fist intently.

Wincing, he skid to a stop, shivering and noticing how cold it was. And he was barefoot in his pajamas, which certainly didn't help matters. "Yeah?"

Out of breath herself, Pippa took a moment to regain her composure. "Wh-where... are... we g-going?" she panted.

Jamie looked back at the house worriedly. "Away from here," he said with certainty, taking her hand again and beginning to walk; only he went slower this time so that the younger girl could keep up with him.

After a short while of walking, Jamie paused when a burst of energy washed over him. He shivered again, only it made him feel warm. He looked around, trying to find the source of it; he let out a gasp when he noticed the sleigh in the sky, beginning to land.

Scooting Pippa back with him, he laughed in delight as it landed. "Y-you-" he stuttered out, staring at the Guardians in shock.

Bunnymund scoffed. "Well don't just stand there, squirt. Hop in!"

Though he frowned at the nickname, Jamie obliged, taking Pippa's hand and leading her to the sleigh. Tooth lifted them both up into the sleigh and smiled. "It's been so long, Jamie!" she sighed happily, the sleigh beginning to ascend into the sky again. "I remember when you lost that tooth all those years ago! You know, when you got hit with the couch when you went sledding?"

She turned to Pippa, flashing her bright smile as well, shocking the younger girl just a bit. "Who's this? Your girlfriend?" she prodded his cheeks teasingly, laughing more when he flushed bright red with an incoherent mumbled.

"I-I'm... Jack's sister." Pippa stated softly.

Tooth blinked in surprise, staring at her. "Jack's... sister?" she asked uncertainly, her wings even stopping their fluttering briefly. The girl nodded, shyly hiding behind Jamie.

Bunnymund frowned, twirling the boomerang from paw to paw. "Well, Frostbite's got some explaining to do," he said simply, not wanting to say anymore in case more than just words came out.

The sleigh rose into the sky again, and was circling a ways away from the Bennet household. Jamie was watching anxiously for Jack and Sophie to appear. Finally, the door to the Bennet household swung open again, and they all saw the distinct figures of Jack rushing out, a child in his arms, presumably Sophie.

Sandy was right behind them, flying towards the sleigh and landing in it moments later with a satisfied smile.

Pippa grinned in happiness and relief and immediately waved to them both. "Jack!" she shouted, "Jack, over here!"

The boy seemed to look towards their direction upon hearing Pippa's voice and she could see his smile even from so far away. But suddenly, Sophie screamed and pointed behind him. He recoiled as if he'd been struck moving away from where he had been standing. There, a black shadow began to take shape, into a tall, dark figure.

Pippa felt her blood run cold and she took a fearful step back, hands gripping the wood of the sleigh's edge tightly. It seemed to grin up at her from that distance and she had never felt more terrified. Then the shadow leapt after Jack and was gone.

"Um... guys?" Tooth asked, pointing to another spot in the sky.

Their attention was directed to the spot, where it looked like a dark, black cloud was forming. But from it, several dark Nightmare horses were forming there, breaking away from the cloud to form a huge mass of darkness. Pippa's breath caught in her throat and she felt herself nearly faint with fear.

A hand suddenly grabbed hers, squeezing it reassuringly. Jamie looked at her with determination. "Don't be scared. If you're scared, then Pitch will use that fear to make more of them. We're gonna be okay. The Guardians can handle this." He said it in a firm, even voice, staring at the black cloud with a determined stare.

Pippa marveled at Jamie's bravery and suddenly felt silly for being so scared. He was right. They would protect them, they would find Jack, Jack would protect her...

She simply nodded back to Jamie, tightening the hold on his hand as well.

Bunnymund withdrew both boomerangs, steadying himself. Tooth began to ascend, readying herself and giving Baby Tooth rushed instructions. Sandy had formed two golden whips, one in each hand. North was holding the reins with one hand, trying to calm the reindeer as the other hand drew his sword.

He laughed, pointing his sword at the offending charge of horses. "Come on, then! This won't take too long! We have to go find Jack!"

Tooth whooped in agreement, Sandy gave a two thumbs up with his whips, and Bunnymund just nodded. Tooth and Sandy dashed out of the sleigh towards the horses and Bunnymund threw his boomerangs. North yelled and forced the reindeer to move forward, and the battle begun.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys~ lol, another update cause I got this up early. Next chapter should be up in a week or so. **

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: I closed the poll early and started writing my Harry crossover. The first chapter has been posted TODAY~ Aaaaannnd, I'm going to see Rise of the Guardians today... again! xD**

**EDIT: I've replied to most/all of the reviews you guys left me. Thanks sooooooo much for all of your support! ;;;AAA;;; I love you guys! *insert lots of hearts***

**Without further ado, enjoy the chapter, and feel free to tell me what you think~**

* * *

Sophie let out a shriek of delight as Jack sped off through the sky and to the forest. He could feel the shadow chasing him, and even if he hadn't felt it, he knew it would have followed him regardless. He had to get Sophie and the others away from here as soon as possible... the dark clouds in the sky didn't look good at all.

With a grunt, he urged his body to move faster, even though he felt it drain energy from his body. He finally made it into the forest, into the dark cover of the trees. He felt safer here, because he knew that his pond was nearby.

Smiling, he halted to a glide, shifting so that Sophie could rest more comfortably in his arms. She was getting tired now, and was cold as well. She yawned and closed her eyes.

Jack grimaced a little. He would really have to get her back to the Guardians soon. Get her some place warm before she... No, why was he thinking that? He'd get her back safely... and quickly.

He continued walking through the forest, not hearing the sounds of the battle going on above the trees and the forest. Jack just kept walking. He knew that he had to find the tallest tree he could and climb up it to get a better look. He didn't have very much energy left for flying, and he wanted to save it in case he got into a fight with Pitch.

So he continued his silent trek through the forest, searching for just the right tree. He didn't know why he thought one tall pine in particular was the one, but he had a gut feeling telling him to go for it. He gently shook Sophie, who stirred with a slight mumble.

"Jack?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Where are we?"

"In the forest," he replied, already assessing the tree to deduce how best to climb it with Sophie and his staff in tow. "I need you to get on my back, okay?"

Nodding tiredly, Sophie allowed Jack to guide her so that her tiny legs were sitting on his shoulders, and small arms were wrapped around his head, face buried in his silver locks. "Got a good grip?" he asked with a chuckle.

Once she nodded, Jack put his staff between his teeth and jumped up to grab the lowest branch off the ground. He swung himself up onto it, making sure not to let Sophie fall when he moved.

The silence in which he scaled the tree, only broken by his own grunts when he had difficulty steadying himself, was a bit unnerving to him. He sensed that Pitch was close again and heaved a shaky breath. He had to keep going, he couldn't alert Sophie to the danger, especially if she didn't already know about it.

After a few long, strenuous minutes, he made it to the top of the tree, panting and looking out over the forest and fields of Burgess. Through the dark clouds in the sky, he could make out the fiant outline of a full moon. Frowning, he turned his attention to other details, noticing the large group of black Nightmare horses. He tightened the grip on his staff, noticing the sleigh, and Tooth and Sandy in the distance in the sky, fighting them all off.

"I have to get their attention," he said aloud. But how was he going to do that?

He grimaced. He thought of something to attract their attention but it would probably use up the last of his energy. He would just have to resort for yelling at them for now. Besides, they were doing quite a good job keeping all of the Nightmares at bay.

"HEY! GUYS, OVER HERE!" Jack yelled loudly, waving his staff in the air, and trying to balance himself on the top of the tree without falling. Sophie whimpered nervously and clutched onto him tighter. "Close your eyes Sophie," he said soothingly, "and don't look down, okay?"

He continued yelling and shouting loudly to his friends, not noticing the figure at the bottom of the tree, grinning up at him cruelly, before morphing into the shadows again.

* * *

North seemed to have noticed the shouting and gestured in Jack's direction, then towards Tooth and Sandy. He began to turn the sleigh around, steering it towards Jack. His friends followed and he grinned broadly. "Don't worry, they're coming Sophie! See, open your eyes! Jamie and Pips are there too!"

Sophie opened her eyes and brushed some blonde hair out of her eyes, gasping in delight when she saw her brother and her new friend. She waved to them excitedly with one hand, the other keeping herself steady by gripping Jack's hair. He winced a little in pain, but otherwise let out a laugh.

The Guardians were about fifty feet away from Jack in the sleigh. But before they could move any closer to him, the tree that he was standing on shuddered violently and began to tip. Sophie screamed and Jack yelled in surprise, hugging the tree tightly with one arm as best he could.

A voice came down from below, and Jack tensed when he heard who it was. "Come any closer and this whole damn thing is coming down! You wouldn't want to test what energy that little Jackie has left to fly, do you?" Pitch cackled; there was a sickening thud and the tree tipped the other way.

"Pitch!" Bunnymund yelled angrily. But he knew better than to attack with the position that they were in at the moment. He turned to Sandy worriedly. "Use your Dream sand over something! Make a... a-a bridge! Yeah! Do it, quick! North, keep the sleigh here for a few minutes! We gotta get Jack!"

Sandy needed no other incentive from the others; he let a stream of gold sand stretch across the sky towards Jack and Sophie, not quite touching the tree, but pretty close. Jack moved so that Sophie was in his arms again, his staff crossed over their chests. "Hang on tight, Sophie!" he yelled, gulping as he prepared to jump. Moving onto the unsteady branch, he took a deep breath, counted to three, and then leapt forward, flinging himself onto the bridge of sand.

Sandy and the others grinned broadly at him, before Tooth yelled out, "We have some company, guys!"

A large group of black horses were closing in again. "Sandy, keep the bridge steady!" North said, drawing one of his swords. "We will take care of this!" That being said, Tooth and North began to attack, and Bunnymund flung his boomerangs at the creatures.

Jack glanced behind them and watched the tree begin to fall, but didn't miss the dark shadow darting up it from branch to branch. He muttered a curse and stood up on the bridge, beginning to walk. "Sophie?"

"Yeah, Jack?"

"I need you to look straight ahead, okay? Once we get close enough, I'm going to put you down and you're gonna jump and Bunny will catch you." He looked at Bunnymund as he walked, who gave a simple nod to indicate that he heard. "Sandy can't make the bridge any bigger right now and we have to hurry. So you have to jump when I say, alright?"

Looking pale and scared in her pajamas, Sophie nodded nervously, and stared straight ahead, gaze flickering between Bunnymund and Sandy. "Don't be scared," he added. "You're going to be fine." She seemed to relax a little bit and nodded. Besides, if she got scared, Pitch could use that fear against them.

Looking over his shoulder briefly, he saw the black shadow leap onto the bride, beginning to turn it black the further it crawled along. Jack walked faster, trying not to let himself shake with the fear that was following them. He reached the edge of the sleigh, which was still a good few feet away from the bridge.

Once Bunnymund noticed, he put his boomerangs down and reached out his arms to Jack. "Don't worry ankle-biter, I'll catch you," he said, trying to urge Sophie on. She looked to Jamie nervously, who nodded eagerly. Pippa did the same. She swallowed hard and Jack set her down, looking behind him again. He quickly gave the young girl his staff, hoping it would help to balance her a bit as she walked.

The gold was slowly turning to black, and was only a few yards away on the bridge. "Sophie, hurry! You can do it!" he said encouragingly, trying not to sound rushed or desperate. Sophie took a deep breath, moved back a few steps, and then began running.

She flung herself into the air off the edge of the bridge. Bunnymund leaned over the sleigh and caught her just in time, pulling the child close to his chest comfortingly. Her fingers curled in his fur and she whimpered before opening her eyes. She glanced back at Jack, who grinned and gave her a thumbs up, before preparing to jump himself. Sophie quickly handed the staff to Pippa, who stared at the Nightmare sand the bridge was turning into worriedly. Jack gave her a reassuring smile.

But once he moved again, the blackness completely consumed the bridge and Jack stumbled back, falling down on it. Once he did, it crumbled away, the Nightmare sand dispersing and flowing away in the wind. He was vaguely aware of shouting in the distance, but he couldn't make out who it was.

He wished that he had his staff; but he knew it wouldn't do much good for him at all. He was vaguely aware of the black sand coiling around him, pulling him further down, and a silky voice just telling him to give up, to give in.

And he felt that he should. He was too tired to move, too tired to do anything other than keep falling, falling, falling...

But suddenly a pair of arms was encircling him and pulling him away from the darkness, away from the fear. Still not able to make out any shapes, he curled up to whatever or whoever it was, eyes fluttering closed unwillingly, the dark finally seeping in.

* * *

Though Tooth had been preoccupied trying to ward off the Nightmares, it didn't prevent her from keeping a close eye on Jack and the others just to make sure they were safe. She sliced through Fearlings with razor-sharp wings, one after another, shattering them and having their remnants fall to the earth, black sand sprinkling over the treetops.

And once she noticed the bridge Sandy had formed, North struggling to keep the sleigh afloat and in one place, with Jack and Sophie walking across the bridge especially when it began to turn black, she knew that she would have to step in.

Sophie was on the edge now, holding Jack's staff, with Bunny and Jack urging her on. After she jumped and the bridge began to crumble, she gasped. "JACK!"

He was falling now, the shadows encircling him, and he looked just so weak and frail it made her so sad and... and angry. It made her angry.

With a growl, she sped off in the sky, diving through the air towards him. She sliced through the dark sand and slowly wrapped her arms around Jack's chest, trying to pull him up and keep him from falling.

A laugh resounded through the air and she turned her head to glare at Pitch, who was atop a dark horse. Jack shifted in her arms, pressing himself a little closer to the fairy, mumbling something indistinct.

"Isn't that just adorable?" he cooed, "Jack's little girlfriend came to save him." His lips curled into a sneer. From above, she heard Bunnymund yell her name. She looked up, shaking her head and waving her hand dismissively. The sleigh began to move again, slowly picking up speed, and she turned her attention back to Pitch.

"What did you do to Jack?" she demanded, knowing better than to fall for childish taunts.

Pitch chuckled. "Whatever do you mean, Toothiana?"

"I said, what did you _do?_!" she repeated, spinning in a circle so fast, it created a sonic boom that flew towards Pitch and then sliced through his horse. Moving off the horse just in time, he simply conjured another one before he fell and landed on it, looking unimpressed at her.

"Is that all that you've got?"

With a wave of his hand, a stream of nightmare sand flew from it and began to take shape into another horse, then another, and then another. Cursing, Tooth shifted Jack in her arms again, readying to attack the steeds. Supporting Jack with one arm, she extended the other. The feathers on her arm began to move, growing longer, and slowly turning into sharp looking, colored blade-like feathers. They blended together as one, into a sword. She brandished it at Pitch with a very rare smirk.

"Ah yes, I forgot..." he mused, gold eyes glinting. "They call you _Queen _Toothiana for a reason, yes?"

"That's one thing you got right," she said boldly.

Getting a little frustrated at her attitude now, Pitch narrowed his eyes and flicked the reins on his horse. The other horses began to move toward Tooth and she hugged Jack just a little tighter."You want a fight, huh, little fairy?" he jeered at her. "Then you've got one."

The horses swarmed her and she constantly moved in a circle, daring one of them to make a wrong move, daring one of them to try and attack. Finally, one did; she slashed through it with one slice of her sword, before dashing away and doing the same to another one. She surprised herself at how good she was doing despite carrying Jack, who must have weighed at least twice her weight.

She continued this; slashing through all the Nightmares, barely even noticing the golden whips and boomerangs flying by her in assistance. It wasn't until Sandy laid a hand on her shoulder that she finally relaxed to take a look at the situation around her.

The sleigh was flying around at a more casual pace now and there were no more Fearlings left, other than the one that Pitch was mounted on. He had a frown tugging at his lips, before it twisted into a cruel smile. "Well, well. You're all just a merry bunch, aren't you?"

Tooth was about to reply but she felt the body in her arms begin to stir. With soft groan, Jack's blue eyes fluttered open, blue eyes lighting up the dark sky. "Wh-wha..." he stuttered, body to weak to even move just yet.

Tooth grinned down at him, helping him into an upright position, his arm on her shoulder while she floated. "Jack! Are you okay?" Upon hearing Jack's name being called, the children leaned over the sleigh to wave at him.

"I... think so," he managed to get out, running a hand through his hear and leaning a bit more heavily on Tooth. "My head hurts..."

She smiled and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Don't worry Jack, everything's going to be fine." She took pride in the way that Jack's face flushed blue at the gesture, frost spreading over his cheeks.

"Isn't that just _sweet_," Pitch interrupted, "you're such charming little devils. Well a little kiss on the cheek isn't going to solve your problems Jack." He glanced over at he sleigh, his gaze travelling to Pippa. "In fact, they've only just begun..."

Pippa's face paled and she took a step back nervously. Bunnymund moved in front of her with a reassuring nod. "Give it up, Pitch!" Bunnymund yelled, "You can't win."

He pursed his lips, looking thoughtful. "Maybe..." he said thoughtfully. Then his eyes set on Tooth; specifically the boy she was supporting at the moment. He laughed and Tooth's blood ran cold. "Or maybe not."

Before Tooth could react or even cry out in surprise, an arrow of Nightmare sand shot at her, knocking her out of the sky and away from Jack. Both bodies began to fall, and Pitch dove to catch Jack by the hood of his hoodie. Sandy quickly snatched Tooth out of the air with a stream of sand, staring worriedly at the faintly struggling body in his arms.

Clutching and tugging at his hoodie, Jack rasped as he tried to regain his breath. "Augh-sto-_stop_!"

Chuckling darkly, Pitch shook his head, hand moving so that his fingers were wrapped around his neck, constricting and suffocating him and making it even harder for Jack to breathe.

Once Tooth snapped out of her daze, she stared at Pitch fearfully. "NO! Let him go!" North had stopped driving the sleigh, and everyone's worried glances were on the struggling spirit.

Pitch raised an eyebrow. "Let him go?" he let out a laugh. "As you wish." His grip on Jack's throat tightened harshly one more time before he flung the boy out of his grasp. Jack was falling through the air again, plummeting even faster than last time. A Nightmare horse swooped down and rammed into his body, and as Jack flew up in the air again, with a sickened yelp, it caught the boy on its back.

"Pitch, you BASTARD!" Bunnymund growled angrily, readying his boomerangs.

Pitch only threw back his head and laughed. "We have some unfinished business.. something that should have happened at the lake over three hundred years ago." His gaze flickered to Jack's sister once more and he grinned.

Pippa shook her head and stumbled back in the sleigh, eyes wide with fright and breathing getting heavy. Jamie looked at her worriedly, shaking her shoulders to get her to snap out of it. "Pippa don't listen to him! It's gonna be fine-"

Jamie couldn't get in another word before Pippa collapsed onto the floor of the sleigh with a loud thud and Pitch was already riding away, cackling into the night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Here ya go! This is more of a filler chapter I suppose. But it serves important purpose! Lol, whatever. xD Hope you enjoy the chapter, and as always, don't forget to leave a review~**

* * *

"We have to go." Bunnymund said abruptly. Tooth was hovering near the sleigh and he pulled her into it before she could take after Pitch again.

"Bunny, what are you talking about?" she demanded. "We have to save Jack!"

Bunnymund shook his head regrettably. "No. If-if we do, then we'll have more than just Jack to worry about! And we have to get Frostbite's sister back too.." he glanced over at Pippa, who was laying down on the floor of the sleigh, with Jamie by her side, trying to shake her awake. He looked to North. "Cmon, we have to go!"

North still hesitated. The pooka growled. "I will turn this goddamn sleigh back to the Pole all by myself if I have to!"

The Russian still paused for another moment before harshly flicking the reigns.

"NO!" Tooth yelled. Bunnymund wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, yelling incoherently and trying to hold her back. Sandy watched them both with concern, and conjured up a ball of Dream sand. He threw it at Tooth and she collapsed onto the floor of the sleigh.

"Damn it..." Bunnymund looked between Tooth and Pippa. "Hope Sophie's not going to join the Unconscious Sheila Party."

Sophie piped up at hearing her name. "Are we going to go get Jack-Jack?"

Indistinctly, North threw his globe and yelled "North Pole" but Bunnymund could hardly focus on anything other than Sophie's hopeful, happy face as she stared at him expectantly, holding Jack's staff. His gaze flickered to Jamie, who looked doubtful and crestfallen. Sophie was too little to get what had really happened. He had to lie.

"Yeah," he said with a thick swallow, his stomach churning. Ad it wasn't from the sleigh shooting through the portal. "We'll get 'im back."

Brightening at this, Sophie tiptoed and leaned over the edge of the sleigh to peek at the the wintry landscape around them. She gaped at the large workshop built into the mountain. "Jamie! Jamie look at this!"

Staring at Pippa worriedly, Jamie conceded and walked over to his sister, worries getting forgotten the more of the workshop he saw. North steered the sleigh through an ice tunnel and they landed in what looked like a landing and launching area for the sleigh. Bunnymund jumped off the sleigh, lifting Tooth into his arms.

Sandy helped Sophie out of the sleigh and Jamie struggled to carry Pippa. North got out of the sleigh's driver seat with a heavy sigh, motioning to the others before trudging down the hall. North grumbled offhandedly to Yetis that passed by, and Bunnymund could only understand little bits and pieces of what they were really conversing about.

He tried focus on any other thoughts than Jack, but the winter spirit kept floating into his mind; Jack's look of terror when he was knocked out of the sky, Pitch's dark laughs, ringing out through the night air...

Bunnymund forced his mind to focus on something else. They approached the Globe Room and North began talking to the Yetis again in a hushed tone, aside from the rest of the group. Bunnymund walked over and grabbed a chair lying in one of the corners, setting Tooth down on it. She was not going to be happy when she woke up...

Sophie was sitting on the floor, legs crossed and giggling, speaking what sounded like utter nonsense to the elves, who were grinning back dumbly. She hugged a gaggle of them, spinning around and rolling on the floor with happy shrieks.

He smiled fondly, feeling a little more relaxed at seeing Sophie so happy. His attention then turned to Jamie.

The teen was holding Pippa's unconscious body upright, not really sure what to do with her. Bunnymund looked around an found another cushy chair - really, it was more like a small couch - and dragged it over next to Tooth's. "Set 'er down on it. She'll need some rest I imagine."

Jamie nodded in thanks and set Pippa down on it, gazing at her sleeping face worriedly. There was no black sand swirling around her head, but no happy dreams were present either. Jamie sighed and slunk to the floor.

Bunnymund frowned and crouched next to him. "What's eatin' you?"

Jamie looked away, knees pulled up to his chest. "I-I don't know... it's just..." he sighed softly. "Jack... he's always been there for me and always protected me. And now? I couldn't even do anything to help him... H-he said a long time ago, that I'm a Guardian too..." He sniffled a bit and wiped his eyes. "I'm a sucky Guardian... and a sucky friend."

Bunnymund sat in silence for a few moments, pondering over Jamie's words. He clapped a paw on his back and sighed. "Don't get so down on yourself... you think you coulda fought Pitch on your own?"

Jamie slowly shook his head. "N-no, but-"

"But nothin'. That's what friendship is, Jamie. You protect your friends when you can and help 'em out. But there are some things you can't do no matter how hard you try. You couldn'a stopped Pitch. You would gotten hurt or worse, and then how would Jack feel?"

Jamie stared at his shoes in silence.

Bunnymund continued. "There'll be other way to pay 'im back, Jamie. Right now, you gotta get off your mopin' bum and focus on helping us find Jack..." He paused to glance at Pippa. "And find out more about his sister."

"Her name's Pippa," he offered.

The rabbit sighed. "It's a start."

North clapped his hands together, diverting attention from their conversation. "Jamie?" The teen stood up at the mention of his name. "I would like you to take Jack's sister and your sister to a guest room. Yetis will lead the way."

Jamie looked over to Bunnymund anxiously, who simply nodded. Jamie sighed and stood up. He picked up Pippa again, struggling to maintain her weight, and then went over to Sophie. "Come on, Soph, we're gonna go take a nap." Looking disappointed Sophie stood up and followed Jamie and the yetis as they led the duo out of the room. Once the two children were out of sight, Bunnymund and Sandy went over to North. Sandy formed a moon above his head, tilting his head curiously.

North shook his head sadly. "Manny has nothing to say right now."

Bunnymund sighed exasperatedly, pressing a hand over his ears to smooth them in irritation. "At a time like this...?" There were a few moments of silence before Bunnymund slammed his paw into a wall, a low growl leaving his throat. "He can't just... abandon us at a time like this! Jack's been taken by _Pitch_!" he began to pace the room, worry and panic rising in him. They had to find Jack. They just had to.

Sandy gave Bunnymund a look of sympathy and place one small hand on his furry shoulder. He sighed and relaxed a little, mumbling a word of thanks.

"What we need to focus on doing now," North said, breaking the short silence, "is attack. We need a plan to get Jack back. Before Pitch has the chance to do anything."

Sandy frowned and created the image of Jacks staff above his head.

"He's defenceless without it... and he coudn't fly to the sleigh earlier, even when he had it," North said slowly, realization beginning to dawn on him. "Pitch must have done something to his powers! That... must also be why his younger sister is here."

"We just have to fill in the little details so we can find out everythin' that's going on." Bunnymund finished, tossing his boomerang from hand to hand.

As he did, they all heard a small groan emit from the unconscious body across the room. Straightening up, the three Guardins noitced Tooth finally beginning to wake, rubbing her eyes with a soft yawn. She floated to her feet, looking around the workshop, still in a half-asleep daze. "Where's... we're at the Pole?" she frowned and rubbed her head."But I thought... Jack..." Her eyes settled on Bunnymund and narrowed dangerously.

Bunnymund gulped. Oh, were they in for it now.

* * *

Jamie followed the Yetis down the hallways of North's workshop; he wished that there was a bit more time for him to look around at all the toys and the work being put into making them. He constantly had to pull Sophie back over to him when she tried to run after elves or go play with some of the toys or yetis - several times.

The creatures led Jamie into a large room with a huge wooden bed. There were animal skin blankets of fur, and several animals hanging on the walls as decorations. There was a small Christmas tree in the corner, strung with lights and ornament. Toys were scattered about the room, which Sophie immediately ran after. The Yetis said something in a garbled speech and Jamie forced a nod and a smile, pretending to understand.

Once they left, the boy heaved a sigh and set Pippa down on the bed, slumping down on it next to her. The clamouring noise from Sophie playing stopped after a few minutes and her head peeked over the edge of the bed. "Jamie?"

"Yeah, Soph?"

Sophie took small running to start to jump on the bed and roll over next to Jamie, blonde hair covering her face when she finally sat up. "Don't be sad!" she said, spitting some hair from her mouth. "We're gonna rescue Jack-Jack real soon! Everything's gonna be okay!" she smiled warmly at her brother. "I promise."

Jamie's doubtful frown morphed into a small smile and he laughed. "How can you be so sure?"

"Bunny told me! Bunnies can't lie!"

Jamie laughed again, and it was happier this time. "Really? Who told you that?"

"Me!"

Jamie shook his head fondly, trying to stifle his laughter. "Well that's enough telling yourself about truthful animals for one day... You need to sleep." At the look on Sophie's face, he shook his head. "Uh-uh. No buts!"

Sophie giggled. "You said butts."

Jamie rolled his eyes and picked Sophie up, tucking her in bed next to Pippa. "Go to sleep. You'll need it, trust me."

The young girl looked ready to retort, but she simply nodded, curling up under the covers next to Pippa, her eyes fluttering closed with a soft sigh. Her breathing evened out and a few minutes later, she was asleep. The older boy smoothed out her hair absentlymindedly, all three children on the bed relaxed and content.

Jamie's thoughts drifted to Jack. Jamie's stomach churned and he sighed, laying between Pippa and his sister. He closed his eyes, thinking hard. He had to help Jack. But how? he didn't know where Pitch or Jack were at the moment. He kept thinking. There had to be something... some kind of clue, some kind of lead... something either of them left behind...

His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright."His staff," Jamie uttered. He scrambled off the bed to where Sophie was playing. The staff was set against a dresser in the room, next to a toy airplane his sister had been playing with earlier.

Grabbing the staff, he turned it over in his hands a few times. The wood looked like it had been cut in cloth-like strips and spun together. Ice was forever spread across the middle of it, spreading out to the rest of the staff. Expectedly the old wood was cold as ice. He turned it over in his hands a few tie, frowning. How was he going to get it back to Jack?

He had to get to Pitch's lair first of all... but he didn't have transportation.

A thought popped into the boy's head and Jamie smiled, a smile not at all unlike Jack's when he was playing a prank. He set off out of the room with his friend's staff quietly ad headed to North's office to find his snow globe.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **_Another filler-ish-not-so-ish chapter. Posted early cause you guys are sweethearts uwu Through The Hourglass will be updated on Monday, in case any of my readers for that were wondering; it will be a LONG chapter. Without further ado, enjoy! And don't forget to review~_

* * *

Jamie tread lightly through the halls of the North Pole's workshop, avoiding Yetis carrying masses of toys, and elves running around playing with each other. He was pretty sure that he'd be able to find North's office quite easily.

He ducked under one of the tables full of toys when the Globe came into view. Tooth was flying around, yelling at the other three Guardians, but she looked more worried than anything else.

Of course she'd be worried about Jack. She cared for him a lot too. They all did.

And that was exactly why he was going to sneak into Pitch's lair and get Jack back.

He slowly crawled out from under the table, unnoticed by the other Guardians. He kept walking, headed towards a solitary-looking room parallel to the Globe. He jiggled the door knob cautiously, keeping his eye out for North's helpers.

He quickly opened the door, closing it behind him quickly and quietly. Jamie stood with his back to the door and just took a few moments to appreciate the room.

There was a large desk near a big, open window. On the desk was a set of train tracks, with little trains riding on it - completely made of ice. There were bookshelves lined up against the walls, filed up with thick, heavy books, their papers yellowed by age.

Jamie cautiously stepped a little further into the room. He had to find the mini-globe. But where would North keep it?

The teen decided to investigate the table. He walked over, pleased to find another one of North's coat on a chair; and a chainsaw sitting next to it. Laughing nervously to himself, Jamie dug a hand in the pocket of the warm, red coat.

"Nothing." he cursed to himself. He tried the other pocket.

This time, his search was successful. He withdrew the small, see-through globe, grinning. He paused, and then realized he had no idea how to use it.

"Stupid!" he yelled out did he expect to go find Jack if he didn't even know how to use this stupid thing? He only remembered Sophie talking about it once or twice when recalling details of their adventure with the Guardians.

He put the mini-globe in his pocket and started for the door. However, before he could reach it, the door slammed open on its own. He yelped in surprise, almost dropping the staff he was holding.

North stared down at Jamie, a confused frown on his face. "Jamie? What are you doing here? Should you not be resting?" His heavy boots thudded against the floor loudly as he walked in.

Jamie looked away, clasping his hands behind his back with the staff. "I was looking to see if there was anything... anything that could help us find Pitch. And get Jack back."

To his surprise, North laughed softly, ruffling the boy's hair. "That is quite admirable of you, Jamie," he said. "but you should stay with your sister. And Jack's sister. We'll figure this out, don't worry."

"But-" Jamie started to say.

"No buts!" The jolly man said, waving his finger sternly as he picked up the coat on the chair - Jamie held in a scared gulp - swapping it for his old one. "I will get elves to bring you cookies. But your main priority is to keep both of them safe. And then we must return you home."

Jamie nodded, shoulders slumping, the truth of the statement deflating his earlier excitement. "Okay."

He trotted out of the room, trying not to go so fast as that North would be suspicious. That went better than he expected. As long as North didn't need his globe and then found out it was missing... he would probably be furious that Jamie took it. He shuddered and kept walking.

Jamie made it back to the room where Sophie and Pippa were rather quickly. He would wait for Sophie to wake up before asking her about the globe... he would be discreet about it, of course. Sophie wouldn't suspect a thing. And hopefully no one else would either.

When he arrived back at the room, he was surprised to find that Sophie and Pippa were already awake, both of them sitting on the bed and talking in hushed tones. Jamie tapped the door with Jack's staff lightly and cleared his throat to alert them both to his presence.

Immediately the two girls sat up, looking over at Jamie with silly grins. He rolled his eyes and walked over to them, climbing on the bed carefully so as not to disturb the glass object in his pocket.

He smiled at Pippa. "Are you feeling okay?"

Her own smile dropped a bit and she slowly shook her head. "I'm really worried about Jack..."

Managing another smile, Jamie patted her on the back. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He's dealt with Pitch before."

"And he kicked his butt!" Sophie giggled enthusiastically.

Pippa managed a small smile, crossing her legs and resting her hands in her lap. "Sounds like something he would do," she said with the faintest smile.

Jamie crossed his arms pensively, sitting on the edge of the bed. "If only... if only we could get to Pitch's lair!" he sighed in frustration, wishing with all his might the globe could take him there. "Then we could get him out..."

And all of a sudden, the globe in Jamie's pocket started to glow. Pippa and Sophie yelled in surprise, but Jamie couldn't do anything. In an instant, the portal swirled faintly around him - and he was gone.

"JAMIE!" Sophie shrieked worriedly.

"Wh-where did he..." Pippa trailed off fearfully. Sophie grabbed her hand and dragged her off the bed, and to the workshop. "Where are we going?" Pippa asked, a little saddened at not being able to take a good look around the workshop.

"Jamie's in trouble! He whooshed away and we have to help him!"

"How are we going to do that?" Pippa raised an eyebrow. She couldn't see anything that could help them at this point.

Sophie paused, stopping in her tracks. She really had to wonder; how was a seven year-old and an eight year-old going to help their older brothers against a dark force that they knew nothing about? And the dark force was currently untraceable and they had no means of transportation or location. It was trying to find a needle in a giant, two-story house haystack.

The blonde eyed the entrance to where North's sleigh was kept and a grin lit up her face. "We'll fly there."

* * *

Pitch was walking around his lair, muttering his plans to himself, over and over, just to be sure he got everything right. He did not want to mess this up like last time. When he underestimated Jack. He would take every extra precaution this time; it was better safe than sorry. Especially when one was dealing with pesky Guardians. _Speaking of which, he thought,__ I should go check on our guest. He chuckled a bit and curled his finger, beckoning a Nightmare horse to follow behind him._

Twisting the shadows to his will, Pitch appeared in another part of his lair. A dark, dungeon, with multiple empty cells. All except one, he mused with a hint of glee. He approached the cell to find his prisoner in question.

Jack Frost was hanging up in the cell, dark chains attached to his wrists and ankles. His head was hung low, blue hood covering his face from view. He stayed there limply, but Pitch knew that he was feigning sleep. "Oh come, now, Jack." he drawled, "don't be such a poor sport... I kidnapped you fair and square, so it's only gracious you behave as a normal prisoner should."

No response came from the still boy. Pitch sighed dramatically. "Do yo really want to do this?" He appeared in front of jack suddenly, tilting his chin up gently with one finger. He gave him an almost kind smile. "I told you we don't have to be alone. You know i can take away your believers... if it comes to do something other than just giving them a little nightmare."

Jack's head snapped up and he snarled, lashing out against his restraints. "Don't you dare, Pitch-"

"Then stop being so difficult!" he shouted back. " He frowned and took a moment to regain his composure, putting on another fake smile. "If you become part of my Fearling army I'll be more than happy to leave your sister and Jamie alone...'

"What about the Guardians?"

Pitch shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll kill them, of course. You can't believe in something that ceases to exist, now, can you?" he chuckled darkly, the shadows round him swarming Jack's body, crawling up his stiff legs. "If you do this willingly, Jack, it will be much less painful.. especially for your dear sister."

Jack struggled against the shadows and chains with renewed vigor, glaring ferociously at Pitch. "What are you going to do to her?' he demanded in anger.

"Make her into a Fearling, of course. To fight alongside her big brother..." Pitch cackled with mirth. "I'm going to drag her away from the Guardians and take her to that little lake of yours and drown her in it. It won't make much difference, she's already dead anyways, what'll it matter?" he grinned at the look on Jack's face when he struggled harder, his body filling with fear at the thought of his precious sister being hurt.

"The sand in the lake will overtake her and flood all of her body over until I am in complete control. And then I'll do the same to you. I'll make you tear the Guardians apart one by one, and then I'll get rid of you both. Then you can clean up the mess I made for you. How does that sound, Jack?"

"YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!" he yelled again, voice booming through the dungeon. Sparks of ice shot from his wrists and ankles, freezing over the Nightmare sand and sending it to the ground in shatters. If only it could do the same to his chains as well...

Pitch laughed again and he squeezed his fist in front of Jack; the boy's body stiffened up, and he couldn't make out a sound of protest when Pitch forced him to go limp, eyes fluttering shut. "I'll let you see her one last time before I go and get her. Until then... sweet nightmares, Jack." Jack started to weakly struggle again as he felt dark sand encase his body; but eventually, he gave up the struggle, and succumbed to a gorey sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Sorry if this chapter's short again :p Next chapter is going to be super exciting! I just needed a few filler chapters for it all to piece together. Thank you all for your patience, kind reviews, alerts, and favorites. uvu

Don't forget to review on your way out, and enjoy~

* * *

Jamie landed on the cold, hard ground with a loud thump and he stifled a cry of pain. After a few minutes, the unease passed, and he sat up, taking a look at his surroundings. It was a large, expansive cavern, dimly lit. There were confusing staircases and walls and cages hung from the ceiling. They looked as if they'd been unused for some time.

He staggered to his feet, clutching the staff close to him. This had to be Pitch's lair. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He could do this. He just had to get Jack his staff and then he would get them both out of there. Before Pitch found out.

And most of all, he couldn't be scared. Then Pitch would definitely find him. Unless he knew he was there already. Trying not to shudder, Jamie started walking.

The lair itself was a sort of eerily beautiful work of architecture, airing more on the eerie side since it belonged to Pitch. Still, Jamie was fascinated by the twists and turns and winding staircases in the lair. He told himself to keep walking, even when his feet ached and chilled against the chilly rock of the cavern.

He let his own feet walk him to wherever he thought he should go and after a few minutes, he was walking down a dark corridor. There was a fork in the path and he went right, hearing a noise come down from that way.

Pointing Jack's staff ahead of himself protectively, he continued walking, taking gulps of air in generous amounts. He was not scared. He was going to find Jack and bring him home. He wasn't scared. He was brave. Jack said he was a Guardian too. He saved Jack and the others once and he'd do it again.

He moved blindly into an even darker room, if that was possible. He paused, leaning his hand against the wall-

-only to have it pass right through and for the rest of his body to collide with it.

He stifled a scream and closed his eyes, heart drumming against his chest. He opened them again, trying to move. His could wiggle his arm a bit, but it was almost like it was secluded between two metal-

"Bars," Jamie whispered in the darkness. He easily moved his hand away. This wasn't a wall. It was a cell.

"Jack," he breathed quietly.

He backed up, squinting, eyes finally adjusting to the darkness. There was a figure hanging in the cell, body limp and suspended by ropes. Upon further examination, Jamie saw that they were chains. He had no more doubts about who the body was now.

"Jack!" he whispered urgently, tapping the staff against the bars. "Jack, wake up!"

A strange slithering sound registered in Jamie's ears. The sound of sand sliding and gliding over skin. There was something glittery and black in the cell and it appeared to be right on Jack. Oh no, this was definitely not good. "Jack!" he repeated,a little louder this time.

Jack let out a slight mumble and Jamie saw his body twitch. Was he having a nightmare? Struggling, he tested the cell's length again. He could fit his arm through, and there was a bit more space. If he really tried, he could wiggle through.

Taking a deep breath, he silently moved in betwixt the bars, his chest being constricted for a few seconds. Jamie broke free and was in the other side of the cell, sighing in relief. But not for long; he noticed now, that the slithering was in fact black sand; and it was moving across Jack's very skin.

He poked at it with his staff; the sand on Jack's leg dispersed and fell to the floor with a soft sprinkling sound. Eager now, by this development, he continued prodding his friend's skin with the staff, but never dared to physically touch it in case it did the same thing to himself.

After what seemed a long process that could have gone on for hours, he tapped the last bit of sand off Jack's cheek. At this, the frost spirit began to stir, letting out a small whimper. "Jack!" Jamie said quietly, "Can you hear me?"

A few moments passed and Jamie saw Jack nod slightly in the darkness. His lips cracked and his throat dry, he swallowed. "J-Jamie? What are you doing here...?"

"I came to rescue you!" he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Jack was still for a few more moments before everything finally registered. "W-wait, you- what, no! Are you crazy?" he hissed, trying to get himself upright while still being bound in chains. "He could-could-"

"I'm fine, Jack."he whispered back. "Really, I am. And I brought your staff."

Jack's eyes seemed to light up the darkness. He struggled against the chains and groaned quietly. "I've gotta get out of these..."

"I can get you out," Jamie offered.

Jack looked at him skeptically. "How?"

Jamie was already on his hands and knees, feeling around for something sharp. His hand came in contact with a sharp rock and he winced, feeling blood drip down his now injured hand. "Found something." he said. "Just hand on a minute Jack, I'll get you out of here..." Aiming the rock at the base of one of the chains, Jamie hit it hard against it. The chain snapped and Jack's leg swung free. Jamie grinned.

In a matter of minutes, Jack was free again, and bouncing on his feet. "Jamie... this was a really dumb plan-"

"-but I saved you," he reminded him, handing his friend his staff.

"Dumb," he repeated, "but successful." Smiling, he ruffled Jamie's hair and took his hand. "Come on, let's hurry up and get out of here... before Pitch finds us." Leading the child out of the cell - there was a door they could unlatch which Jamie missed in the darkness - they left the cell room, unaware of the golden eyes watching them from the shadows.

* * *

Tooth had finally calmed down and apologized for yelling so much at the fellow Guardians, but she was still very worried about Jack. Sinking down onto the small couch Bunnymund had taken out earlier, she sighed and rubbed her forehead in irritation.

Jack... she should have done something more to help him. Even if they said she did everything she could, she still felt like it wasn't enough. Her wings fluttered weakly, not having anything close to her energy from the fight. She felt tired and drained, and the last time she felt this way was when Pitch had attacked them all five years ago. When she first met Jack...

She got out of the chair. She couldn't stay moping around like this forever! She was Queen Toothiana, the Tooth Fairy, and she wouldn't give up. Deciding to check on their guests at the pole, Tooth flew down the hallway to where North said they were staying.

When she reached it, however, she knew something was off. Neither of the three children were inside the room, and it looked like it hadn't been disturbed din a while, the toys on the floor scattered but still.

Frowning, Tooth left the room. Something ran into her foot and she looked down to see Sophie, who seemed quite surprised to see her. "Pretty!" she said at once.

Tooth giggled and knelt beside her. "Thank you... How are you doing, Sophie? Where's Jamie and Jack's sister?"

Sophie looked around and shrugged. "I dunno!"

Tooth frowned again. "Really? You don't know where they are?"

"Nope!" Sophie said in an unconvincingly innocent tone.

Tooth's eyes narrowed and she hummed thoughtfully. "If you tell me where they are, I'll give you cookies."

Sophie's eyes lit up at the promise and she seemed like she couldn't contain herself any longer. "Pips is getting the sleigh ready!" she exclaimed excitedly. "And I dunno where Jamie is... there was a big whoosh, and he was sucked in and then he was gone!" She bounced around and looked expectantly at Tooth for the cookies.

"A... whoosh?" Tooth asked cautiously.

"A whoosh." Sophie repeated. "Big and swirly!" She made the motion of a spiral with her finger and Tooth felt her heart drop into her stomach. Jamie... used the Globe? Then... where was he? Dread seeping in, she mustered up a smile and turned to Sophie. "Sweetie, what were you talking about before Jamie was whooshed away?"

"The boogeyman." Sophie said.

_Shit_.

Tooth chided herself for cursing, even in her own mind, and took Sophie's hand, leading her to the sleigh tunnel entrance. "Alright... were you going to get the sleigh ready? To go get Jamie?"

"Yup!" Sophie said. Tooth lifted the little girl into her arms to spare the trouble of her clinging to her hand and nodded, a determined look setting in her face. Well, the girls had a good idea. Tooth just needed to perfect it. Thoughts racing through her head already, Tooth left the workshop into the sleigh's tunnel and got ready for a battle.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:**_ Here it is! Finally, a chapter with some action! Thanks so much for all the reviews and favorites and everything, guys. I'm so touched! ;u; So I posted this early because it's Valetines Day and I lOOOOVE ALL OF YOU_

_Without further ado, enjoy~_

* * *

Tooth had not taken the sleigh, in case North needed it to go after them later, but instead put Sophie and Pippa back to bed, nearly having to barricade them in their room due to their insistence that they could help her. Afterwards, she had flown her way to Burgess quite fast, finding the entrance to Pitch's lair in a matter of minutes. The bed was gone, but the hole was no longer closed up by the earth.

She peered down, trying to see into the darkness, when she heard a startled cry. "_Help!_" someone yelled. She recognized that voice.

"Jack," Tooth breathed out.

The cry came again, louder this time, and she dived into the hole without any hesitation. "I'm coming, Jack!"

As the queen raced through the long, dark hole and into the lair's entrance, she skidded to a halt when she was finally inside. There were giant cages hanging from the ceiling that reminded her of huge dark lanterns. This was no doubt where her fairies were kept five years ago. Her feathers ruffled in anger and she forced herself to stay calm.

"Come on, Tooth," she said to herself, talking out loud to herself in the attempts to steel her nerves. "If I were a villainous scum who hated everyone, where would I hide Jack?"

Absently, Tooth's hand enclosed around the rapier she had with her. She smiled in relief. This rapier had helped her fight many many battles... It was her treasured sword; and though she hadn't used it recently, she had deemed this cause worthy enough to unsheathe it.

Tooth fluttered around helplessly in the cavern, looking everywhere for Jack. He had to being here somewhere. It was jst a question of finding him. Every time she blinked, the layout of the lair seemed to change...

"Jack?" she called out. "Jack, where are you?"

She failed to noticed the figure materialising behind her until Pitch spoke, voice dark and dry, "Did you really think it would be that easy to find him, Toothiana?"

She whirled around to face Pitch and in a blur of color, had charged, her sword pointed directly at Pitch's throat. "Give me one good reason not to do it," she said, chest heaving, adrenaline coursing all through her veins.

Pitch looked unimpressed and merely pushed it aside with his hand. "Without me, you won't be able to find Jack." His lips curved into a dark smile and he chuckled. "Would you like for me to bring him here for you? I'm sure you must miss him. The other brat too."

Before Tooth had a chance to counter to that, Pitch sank into the floor, into a shadow. Tooth screamed, finding herself being sucked in with him.

In the next few moments, Tooth became aware that she could not fly. Limping a bit, not used to having to walk, she stretched her hand out. It case in contact with a wall; she used that wall for support as she walked throughout the darkness by herself.

"I must say, it's thoughtful of you to visit," Pitch said tauntingly. "You must have thought you could do this on your own, Toothiana. Well let me ease your mind about one thing: Jack's not getting out of here and neither are you."

Tooth scoffed, tightening the grip on the handle of her blade. "Was that a threat, Pitch? Are you going to kill me?

A deep chuckle resonated to her right and she stabbed out at the air, feeling her sword come in contact with something. There was a cry of pain, but she couldn't identify the voice. "No... but he will."

Growling in frustration, Tooth spurred on, seeing a beam of light ahead. Something was running beside her. She slashed her sword without thinking, without knowing, just wanting to get to that light, that safety - and at the same time, she felt something trying to attack her. There would be a flash of pain, followed by flashes of hot and cold in the wounded area. Her leg was struck especially hard and she keeled over, supporting herself with the sword.

Finally, she was close enough to the light. She was almost there. She could finally get out of here, find Jack and Jamie, get home safe-

Pitch materialized in front of her and she stumbled back, her mouth open in surprise. Pitch suddenly dissolved and there was a brilliant flash of blue light; her whole body went rigid, cold seeping into every crevice of her body. She heard screams and longed for warmth; then the cold followed the dark and took Tooth away, vision fading to black.

* * *

Jack kept the grip on Jamie's hand tight as he dragged him through the shadows, the hold on his staff equally as tight. He had no idea how he would get them out of here... but he just knew that he had to act fast before Pitch found them. Dammit, he wished he could just fly them out of there right now.

A shadow passed in front of them and Jack tensed; Jamie stumbled back behind him, losing the grip on Jack's hand. It was only for a second, but it was long enough. A black hole opened up under both of them, and both boys screamed. "JAMIE! NO!" was all Jack managed to yell before he hit the ground, in another place of the lair.

Cursing, he dusted himself off, grabbing his staff. "Jamie? Jamie! Where are you?"

"He'll be fine, most assuredly, Jack." A voice from the shadows cooed.

"PITCH!" he yelled in anger, shooting a beam of ice where he thought the voice came from. He ran blindly through the darkness, trying not to bump into any walls. "Dammit! Let me out of here!" he demanded, running faster than before. "JAMIE!" He had to find him soon, there was no telling what Pitch would do to him-

"Oh, Jack... don't be so worried. Jamie will be fine. It's Toothiana that I'd worry about.."

An unwilling gasp escaped Jack at hearing that and he screamed in frustration, ice bursting form the tip of his staff in the darkness. A figure whooshed past him and he aimed another flash of ice at whatever it was. "What are you-what did you do?!" he nearly screamed, shooting ice often an fast, now.

"More to the point, Jack," Pitch chuckled and suddenly there was light. A thin beam of light stretching across the floor, with Pitch standing in front of him. "what did you do?"

Jack mustered all the strength he had left and thrust his staff at Pitch. But Pitch was gone in a flash, and the ice missed its mark and there was someone standing behind Pitch and-

"Oh God," he whispered. "No, no, no , no, please, no!"

But he could not stop himself from looking.

Toothiana was standing there, her sword hanging at her side in one hand. Her eyes and mouth were wide in surprise, as if she saw something that she could not quite believe. But the worst part was that she was frozen. Literally frozen. Trapped, in what was a thick block of ice, and it was Jack's work. H had done this to her, he froze her into a sculpture.

It was his fault.

The thought registered to him and he really lost it.

* * *

Pitch smiled when a loud scream echoed through his home, and he felt Jack's fear and anger building up uncontrollably, about to erupt like an unstable mountain. In fact, a cold, harsh wind swept throughout the large cavern, even rattling the caves on the ceiling. Pitch stayed where he was on his throne, smiling contentedly. The raw fear and anger emanating off Jack has made him more powerful than he has felt in a very long time.

A shadow coiled around his foot and Pitch stood up, knowing that it was time. He quickly appeared to where Jack was standing, screaming and blowing wind and snow everywhere. Pitch approached him and he saw Jack's shoulders tense. Before Jack could attack, Pitch struck first. A heavy wave of nightmare sand sent the boy flying into the opposite wall.

He sunk to the ground with a moan of pain, trying to get himself to stand upright. The snow and wind had momentarily ceased, his focus on the fight. The Nightmare Kin looked over to where Tooth stood frozen figure of Tooth. "Pity," he said, raising an eyebrow, "that your little friend can't help you at the moment. But it's your fault and it's your problem."

"Sh-SHUT UP!" Jack screamed and shot bolts of ice at Pitch; but he was so angry that he couldn't concentrate well enough to aim correctly. Pitch dodged the attacks with ease and appeared right behind the boy. A thin strand of nightmare sand coiled around his ankle and flung him into another wall. The boy staggered so he was standing again.

"Why do you keep fighting back?" he asked, annoyed and perplexed at the boy's persistence. "You can't beat me Jack, not while I'm like this."

Spitting a bit of blood from his mouth, Jack wiped the bit of blood gathering on his lips. "I can try."

He scoffed. "Try all you want; you're giving into fear one way or another, Jack... but if you insist on defeating me, you had better hurry... for Jamie's sake." Fear absolutely spiked to its peak and Pitch knew that now was the time to attack. He appeared behind Jack and before the boy could turn around, shot a dark, sand arrow into his back.

The noise of the weapon piercing the boy's flesh and his grunt of surprise mixed together gave Pitch a tremendous amount of power. Chuckling darkly, he moved in front of Jack. Blood spilled down from his lips and he coughed the redness up, "Don't fight it, Jack..." pitch said softly, tilting the boy's chin to get a good look at him. "Just let it go."

Finally, whether willingly or not, Jack obeyed, collapsing to the floor. He continued coughing, but his throat was becoming dry and was aching. He soon realized that he was coughing up Nightmare sand, not blood. "Wh-wha-" he started to say, but was cut off by his own scream when Pitch shoved the arrow deeper into his back with his foot. Fear was beginning to take over and Jack near-writhed on the floor, forgetting about Pitch and focusing on keeping himself sane.

Pitch laughed a bit and kicked the boy aside, reaching for the staff.

But someone else grabbed it away from him first.

A growl escaping his lips, he looked into the red-rimmed eyes of Jamie Bennnett, who was holding Jack's staff like it was a lifeline. "Give it here, boy." he growled, holding out his hand expectantly.

Jamie stared at it and shook his head. "It's Jack's," A sob escaped him before he could stop it. "You can't have it."

"Yes, I _can,_" he growled, advancing on the boy. Jamie whimpered and stumbled back, still clutching the staff. He stared down at it and a thought came to mind. He would be in bad trouble with Pitch... and Jack might hate him for it too.

Still, Jamie stood, bravely staring back. at the Nightmare King. "No," he said. Gripping the staff with both hands, he took a few deep breaths. Then he slammed it over his knee, breaking it in half with a vicious snap.

Another piercing scream echoed through the cavern and there was unthinkable fury in Pitch's eyes. "You damned BRAT!" he yelled with such a force that Jamie staggered back. A wave of Nightmare sand slammed into the boy and sent him off his feet into the air. He landed on the ground with a thud, unmoving. A small pool of blood dripped from his head.

Huffing, Pitch piked up the halves of the staff. Sticking them together, he made Nightmare sand flow into it, binding it together. He tossed it beside the winter spirit, whose struggles were slowly but surely dying down. Oh well. Jack would wake in a few hours; then he could finally put the rest of his plan into action. He smirked when noticing dark sand already spreading over the boy's back.

Meanwhile, Jamie climbed to his feet, staggering and slumping against the wall. "Y-you won't... win..." he coughed out weakly, squeezing his eyes shut in pain.

"On the contrary, Jamie," Pitch appeared in front of him and smiled menacingly down at him. "I already have." He sprinkled dark sand over his head and Jamie's eyes closed. He sank to the floor in an unwilling sleep, Pitch went back over to Jack, and picked him up. For now, the boy would rest an in a few measly hours, fear would take over the world.

"After all," he said to himself with a laugh, "what goes together better than cold... and dark?"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **_Here's the next chapter! I got all excited while writing this, because my mom's talking about going to Michigan this summer, and I could meet my girlfriend in person! ;w; Enough of that, though. Thanks for all your feedback guys, I''m so glad you like it all. Also, bonus points if you can guess who appears at the end of the chapter ;D The next chapter will be super long, since the one for _Crystal Snow Magic_ was super long this time._

_Rate and review on your way out~_

* * *

Hours later, Jack Frost awoke from his nightmare; but he did not do so screaming. It was quite a treacherous nightmare, but no longer, because of his change. The boy felt quite at ease, actually, staring around at the dark cavern surrounding him. He sat up, wincing a little as he did. Feeling around his back, he felt something jagged pointing out of it. He tugged it and an intense pain shot through his body.

Wincing, he retracted his hand. He wouldn't be trying that again.

He stood up, hand subconsciously gripping his staff. He looked down at it with a frown. When had h gotten that back? Nightmare sand speckled i with the ice. He curled his fingers around, grateful for the familiar feeling of the wood against his palm, comforting and reassuring him.

"Oh, I see you're awake." A chuckle came from behind him.

He spun around, staff at the ready, and found himself face-to-face with Pitch. He visibly relaxed, even going so far as to let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, it's just you."

Pitch studied him for a moment, curious, but Jack did not know why. After a moment, he relaxed too, laughing again. "Yes, just me. I trust you're feeling better?"

Jack nodded, rubbing his head. "Yeah... I never really got to see my memories, though..." he looked at Pitch hopefully, who clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"There will be time for that later, Jack. Right now, we should go and visit the Guardians... they haven't gotten their Easter present from you yet, though they already gave you theirs." Pitch watched the spirit deflate a little at the mention of the confrontation; that meant it was working. He smiled gleefully and patted him again. "Come on, now, let's go."

Jack grinned, hefting his staff over his shoulder. "Heading to the Pole?"

"Of course," said Pitch, extending his hand to drop a few grains of sand onto the floor. It soon materialized into a dark, swirling portal. "You first." A malicious grin lighting up his face, Jack immediately jumped into the swirling vortex, a laugh echoing through the cavern. Pitch followed him, chuckling darkly in his own manner. The barely-conscious Jamie Bennet lay in the corner as he watched the two of them. His vision faded to black before he could get himself to move again, to warn the others, to save Pippa and Sophie before they got harmed...

The duo was in the workshop in a matter of seconds; Pitch morphed Jack and himself into the shadows quickly, so that they were not noticable. "Okay, what first?" he asked quietly. "I know I already got Tooth. That I remember."

Stroking his chin thoughtfully, the Nightmare King hummed. "Take care of your sister first. Give her a nice little dream." he smirked, surverying the workshop. "And then get Jamie's little sister. He'll be needing some company. But I have other business to attend." He gave Jack's shoulder a brief squeeze. "I'll leave this to you."

Pitch disappeared and Jack stepped out of the shadows, staff at the ready. As soon as he turned a corner in the workshop, he bumped straight into Bunnymund. "Jack, you're-" He paused mid-sentence, the words dying on his lips. He moved back a few steps, hands automatically going to his boomerangs. The change in Jack's appearance was incredibly drastic, and he looked ready to cause some damage. "Where's Jamie and Tooth?"

Jack smirked, a bold wind howling through the workshop. "Taken care of."

Bunnymund bared his teeth. "Tell me now, Jack."

He received silence.

"You little _bastard_-"

There was an explosion of ice suddenly and Bunnymund rolled away, yelling for North and Sandy. Everything was bursting now; toys exploding from the tables they were placed at, and a snowstorm raging through the workshop. "Pitch is keeping them preoccupied," he said. "You might wanna help them first."

And with a smirk, he was gone, off to find his sister.

* * *

Pippa huddled was huddled behind an upturned table in North's workshop, her hands over her head, covering her ears to try and muffle the sounds of the battle going on at the moment. Swords clashed, and there was yelling and screaming and smoke and fire. She coughed into her elbow, hard, and looked around for any signs of Sophie. She has lost her in the chaos.

"Sohpie?" she whispered urgently. The young girl was laying under another table, unmoving. "S-Sophie!" she tried again, a little louder, crawling towards her.

A foot came down in front of her and she stopped cold, her gaze travelling upward fearfully.

Her brother, Jack Frost was standing there. But at the same time, it wasn't Jack. His hood, not only tinged with frost but with black sand as well; his hair was black and the Nightmare sand was covering bits of skin on his face, hi-lighting his bright golden eyes, just ringing with untold malice. A large black arrow was jutting out of his back, grains of dark sand falling from it every time he moved too much.

"Hello little sister," he greeted with a vicious grin.

Pippa immediately scooted away, but Jack only persisted. "C'mon Pips, don't be scared. It's me, your brother, Jack."

"Y-you're not Jack," the young girl stuttered out fearfully.

He scoffed and shook his head. "You're so silly, Pippa... of all the times not to be gullible, you couldn't have picked one worse than now. He knelt down next to her, staff hefted over his shoulder. That, too, was sprinkled with the trademark sand of the Boogeyman. He extended a hand to touch her cheek and she shivered from the cold. "It's still me," he said, smiling. "Jack."

Pippa wanted to believe her brother so bad; she wanted to pretend that everything was fine and she wanted to jump into his arms and hug him tight and never let him go. But this was not Jack. "You are not Jack." she repeated firmly, glaring at him with all the fierceness that she could muster.

A frown creased his face and he scowled. The hand hovering next to her cheek tightened, gripping locks of her hair in his fist. She whimpered, trying to get him to loosen his grip. "Do you want me to scare you, Pippa? I can give you the worst nightmare you can possible imagine. I can create the most twisted reality and put you into it so that you spend the rest of your days asleep, living it over and over until it drives you insane."

The twisted words coming from her brother's lips struck her heart and made Pippa's body tremble with fear. Jack chuckled, holding his palm out in front of you. "You're scared now, aren't you?" Black sand formed and began to take shape. Pippa tried, but could not will her eyes to close or will herself to look away from it.

Before the nightmare could progress any further, an arrow of Dreamsand shot right at Jack; he yelped and rolled out of the way just in time. Sandy was there, holding his golden whips now, and looking furiously at the changed Jack. He moved in front of Pippa and Jack simply laughed, dragging himself to his feet. He looked behind him to see the table Sophie was under and frowned, gently picking her up. She wasn't moving and her breaths were coming out ragged. "I'll get her taken care of," he said, pulling her to his chest with a slight chuckle. "Jamie must be worried."

A boomerang whizzed past his head and he ducked, Sophie still tucked under one arm.

"You leave her alone!" Bunnymund roared, gripping his boomerangs tightly, ready to charge at Jack. North was preoccupied with Pitch and Sandy bore a look of frustration, before racing over to help him.

"What's wrong, Kangaroo?" Jack laughed, leaping into the air, onto the top of the globe with Sophie still held in his arms. "Can't keep up?"

Bunnymund's face contorted in anger. "Jack-" His tone was almost pleading now, though he showed no sign of any other emotion besides anger. "Jack, let her go."

Twirling his staff with one hand, he shrugged his shoulders. "No."

A whirl of black sand covered the globe and spread throughout the room, enveloping the whole of the workshop. Yetis cried out in surprise, North, Sandy and Bunnymund yelled, trying to fight it off, and Pippa screamed, covering her head. Pitch's laughter rang throughout the air and there was a flash of bright light.

When the light faded, the sand faded, and everything seemed to calm.

But the workshop was an absolute mess; everything upturned and turned over, toys shattered and broken on the floor. North looked around in devastation, and was leaning heavily against his swords, eyes wide. Sandy was trying to console both him and Bunnymund; they still couldn't find Tooth. They had not idea what happened to her and Jamie. And now Sophie was gone too.

Shaking terribly, tears in her eyes, Pippa crawled out from under the table. Blood matted her arm. She had hit it hard when the table went flying, but the pain was unnoticeable now. "Jack..." she uttered to herself, sniffles and sobs building up in her throat. "Ja-ack..."

Pippa stumbled out of the room, hearing yells in the distance asking if she was alright. All she could think of was her brother. Her brother and Pitch. Pitch was the one who brought her here, back to life. When she showed up, everything had gone wrong. It would've been better if she stayed dead... she wanted to be dead... she wanted to be gone.

Pippa was out of the workshop, now, and the cold air numbed everything and froze her tears. She curled up on the snow on the edge of the plateau the workshop was on. She missed her brother. She wanted to be at home, cuddled by the fireplace on Jack's lap, between her mother and father, telling stories just like always.

Little Pippa started to wail and sob, her tragic cries echoing through the mountains of the North Pole. Not even the Moon would comfort her.

After a while, she got up, dragged herself back to the workshop; she was numb with cold. But she didn't make it to the door of the workshop. She collapsed, falling into the snow. Pippa wondered if she could suffocate. Just like Jack did underwater. Maybe, if she didn't move for a while, then she would just lose her breath and fade away...

While her vision began to become no more than a blurry gray film screen, she had visions of a man with a spear, in bright shining armor... a knight carrying her away from all of this. A knight shining as bright as the cursed moon itself. She smiled one last time before letting the darkness claim her.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **_Had a bit of difficulty with this chapter, but at least we find out who the mysterious figure is!  
Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review~_

* * *

Nightlight didn't not usually deal well with children. He had not much experience. He usually dealt with guarding the Man in The Moon, who dealt with only one child he knew of specifically; Jack Frost. When the Moon sent him down to the Guardians, he did not expect to find the child in the snow.

The Guardians were a bit more careless than he thought them to be when it came to this; but surely, with the attack on the pole, losing Toothiana and Jack, he could understand their stress. He picked up the shivering child, holding her close in her arms. She let out a small mumble and shifted a bit in her sleep.

A sigh escaped the knight and he adjusted her so he was holding the child in one arm and his spear in the other. He lifted off into the sky with one huge leap, leaving a small, glowing ball of light in his wake. He was flying through the sky at an impossible pace, flying upward; not into space, but still landing on the moon. He pressed his hand to the glowing image of the sphere in the sky and morphed into it, passing through like an object and water.

Still holding the young girl, he entered a white room and bowed deeply, going down on one knee. "Your Majesty," he said, "I have returned. The child is with me."

A throne was in the middle of the blank, white room. It spun around to reveal a man. He smiled, arms folded across his chest. Set her down... there." He extended his hand and a soft bed materialized a few yards away. The servant nodded humbly and set the child on the white bed, drawing the covers over her limp figure.

He returned to his king's side, kneeling down in front of him. "You have done well, Nightlight," The Man said with a firm nod, propping his head up on one hand and leaning forward. "Do you know of Jack's condition?"

"Last I heard, he had taken Sophie with him back to Pitch's lair. Her brother is there also." He looked up at the Man hesitantly. "Your Highness, wouldn't it be in our best interest to go after them? The children could be harmed..."

"Not more than they already are," The Man said with a simple shrug, conjuring up a cup of tea with a wave of his hand. He took a small sip from it, noting the flicker of annoyance on the knight's face. "You wish to go after him yourself and free the children."

Nightlight tentatively said, "The children are in danger. There's no telling what Pitch would do with them after what he did to Jack."

"They will be fine-"

"You don't _know_ that!" Nightlight snarled. He quickly regained his composure, humbly bowing his head again when the Man frowned. "I-I mean... I know him best, sir, in a manner of speaking. I do not think it would be wise to leave the Bennetts in his care. Their mother surely misses them, after all, though I know it is not the biggest concern. But we should help them, at least."

"We're typically not allowed to interfere," The Man said, setting his teacup aside. It flashed away when he waved his hand. "You should know that by now."

"Then, by that principle, Your Majesty, Jack Frost shouldn't even exist. He should be at the bottom of the lake."

The Man narrowed his eyes and stood up, sighing. A small window was conjured, and he gazed out at the night sky of the world from it. "You know that some things are inevitable, Nightlight. The two children will be fine, I assure you. They are not your primary concern. You know your mission. So do your duty. Before Pitch..." he trails off and shrugs his shoulders. "You get the gist of it."

Nightlight nodded, fingers curling tightly around his spear. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"You are dismissed. I know you won't disappoint me, Nightlight."

"I'm glad you think that, Your Majesty."

Nightlight left the moon, sailing through the sky with a mission.

* * *

Jamie was curled up on the floor of the Pitch's cave, head throbbing terribly. He rubbed it as he awoke, vision coming in gray blurs. He could not see very well and couldn't make out any positive shapes. After a few moments, the blurriness began to clear, and he made out a few shapes in the distance. Pitch was definitely there. Beside him was Jack, and a third shape in Jack's arms.

"Sophie-" he gasped, staggering to his feet. The rest of his body protested and he leaned against the wall for support, panting heavily. Before he knew it, Jack was beside him, a bit of a smirk on his face. "Jack," he grabbed his friend's sleeve, pleading up at him, "Please, just - let us go, please-"

"Be quiet," he ordered, frowning at the boy as if Jamie was a mystery he couldn't figure out. "It'll be better for you that way."

He set the little girl down next to Jamie, brushing some hair from her face. She mumbled something that sounded like a whimper. Jamie pulled his sister into a protective hug as quick as he could, eyeing Jack warily, though the image of his friend kept blurring in front of him. "Why are you doing this?"

The spirit tilted his head to the side, looking confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do know, Jack!" Jamie yelled back angrily. "Why are you letting Pitch do this? Why are _you_ doing this? You're supposed to be our friend..."

Jack scoffed, hefting his staff over his shoulder. "Leave me alone and stay quiet," he muttered, "or else Pitch is going to get mad at you. You know what happened to Tooth, didn't you? I don't feel like taking care of you two if you get hurt, so keep it down."

"Jack?" Pitch suddenly materialized in front of them and Jamie tried not to yelp.

Jack looked back at him as if everything was perfectly normal. "Yeah?"

"Take them to one of the rooms... you should probably make sure neither of them have any significant injuries. I have some... business to attend to.

Jamie fell silent, hugging his sister and casting his gaze to the floor, trying not to let his tears fall. He couldn't be weak at a time like this, but he couldn't stop himself from crying this much. Jack rolled his eyes and nudged Jamie's side with his foot. "C'mon, follow me."

Jamie struggled a bit, but did manage to follow Jack, holding onto his sleeve as he led him through the dark corridors in the cave. His feet got scraped up by rocks and he stifled quiet noises of pain. His eyes drifted to the arrow lodged in Jack's back, protruding rather alarmingly. The winter spirit showed no signs of discomfort, as if he didn't even know it was there. Maybe if he could get it out...

Finally, the winter spirit opened a door to another dark room, as dark as the rest of Pitch's lair. There was a large bed with black covers, and Jamie wasted no time in going over and sitting on it, gently setting his sister down on top of it. He climbed on top of it as well, eyes turning away from Jack.

"Don't be so sour, you won't be here for very long." Jack sat on a black wooded chair in the room, moving it so that it was facing Jamie.

Jamie eyes him skeptically. "What do you mean?"

"The Guardians will be here soon," he said, shrugging his shoulders. A maniac grin appeared on his face, and Jamie couldn't find any traces of who used to be his friend. "Though they don't stand a chance. Pitch has other things to attend to, so I'll be keeping down the fort here."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Jamie asked, for he could not figure it out for the life of him.

Jack laughed. "I figure I'll tell you so that you at least get a good chance to run away before all Hell breaks loose."

* * *

Meanwhile, the remaining Guardians at the Pole had loaded up the sleigh. They were not taking anymore chances in letting the children get harmed. They did not know where Pippa was, and they had to find her to; and guided by the light of the moon, North's sleigh sped off to Burgess, intent on bringing the children back to their rightful homes, bringing Jack to _his_ rightful home, finding Tooth, and figuring out just why Pitch did all of this.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **_Just so you know... this story may not have a happy ending, the way it's going. This story has taken a turn I did not expect it to. But I'm just going with the flow. And It'll be over within the next couple chapters, too ;u; Reviews, as always, are welcome! And enjoy the chapter~_

Jack spun his staff around, whistling to himself as he walked through the lair. He had warned Jamie, as his conscience bugged him about. He didn't know why, but he supposed that it didn't matter. He wasn't going to be alive for much longer anyways, if what Pitch was doing worked. He stopped short in his tracks suddenly, hearing something out of place. A footstep.

He turned to face his assailant but nothing was there. Confused, he went over to where he remembered Tooth was. The Guardian of Memories was frozen, like an eerie statue. He smiled a little, tapping it with his staff. More frost spread over it. "Some Guardian," he scoffed. "You can't even protect yourself."

However, he is frowning to himself. It doesn't feel right that she is locked away like that; he had been trapped in ice for so long, after all. Even if he was the enemy, he didn't like it. But it wasn't his decision to make. He sighed and turned on his heel, only to come face to face with a very large rabbit.

He was surprised at first, but it turned into a laugh. "Bunny," he said with a smile, "glad you could make it." He spread his arms in a large gesture and laughed. "Great, isn't it?" You'll be joining her soon, I hope." There was a twitch in Jack's left eye as he said it but he pressed on, "You'll all be that way in the end."

"You little bastard!" he yelled, seizing Jack the front of his hoodie and slamming him into the wall. The arrow prevented it fully; Jack grunted but made no other noise. "How could you do this to her? To us? Jack, we're-"

"Family?" he sneered coldly, brushing Bunny's hands off him with surprising ease. "Don't give me that shit."

Bunnymund's paw reached for his boomerang and he glowered. "Yes, Jack. Family." We help each other, we take care of each other. We don't turn each other into icicles."

"All my 'family' is going to share the same fate," he said with another twitch in his left eye. His hand twitched along with it. "as Tooth, 's part of the plan."

"And what plan is that?"

Jack smirked. "What if I don't want to tell you?"

Bunnymund's eyes narrowed threateningly. "What if I beat you into it?"

"Really, Bunnymund? You couldn't hurt me on Easter, and you can't hurt me now." He perched on top of Tooth's icy prison, smirking. "No matter what you say, you see me as a child. It is against your Guardian duties to hurt a child. That's the reason you didn't hit me that day. I was a child to you then, and I'm a child to you now."

The pooka's green eyes softened a bit and he cursed under his breath, looking away. He couldn't let Jack get to him. Even if what he said was the truth; and it was.

"You can join us, you know. I can convince Pitch to let you. You'll live, if you want."

"Over my dead, furry carcass." Bunnymund yelled back. "Now get your head outta your ass and snap out of this."

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I can't. Even if I wanted to." He turned around, and Bunnymund finally saw the arrow lodged in his back. "Look familiar?" Jack chuckled darkly. "Same thing as Sandy. Only this didn't kill me, it just turned me. It helped me see you all for who you really are, what you really are." He peered up at the ceiling of the cave; it was dark now, and a bit of moonlight shone through the thin crevice.

"You know, I was the only one who had to die to become a Guardian?" he asked. "Those... 'memories' that I got from Pitch on Easter... they were of my death. I died to save my little sister." He chuckled sadly. "I don't think any of us are really fit to be Guardians, you know. Except for me. I suppose that my Guardianship is most deserved, since the Moon deemed it as such a "noble" sacrifice."

"What're ya saying?" Bunnymund said. He was honestly confused and had no idea what Jack was trying to say to him.

"Pitch ended up because he was consumed by fear; it killed him. I died too. I was meant to turn this way, one way or another. The Man in The Moon created me to be under Pitch's wing. His partner, his companion."

Bunnymund shook his head and moved closer. "Jack, you don't know that-"

"_YES, I DO_!" he snarled loudly as he spun around, eyes blazing with anger, the left one twitching again. "I was created to be his. The Man in The Moon made me so you all would have some sort of challenge to tame. That's the only reason he brought me back; the only reason I _DIED_, BUNNY!"

The wind bellowed harshly around them both and Bunnymund began to back up. "I COULD HAVE HAD A LIFE! WITH MY LITTLE SISTER! WITH MY _FAMILY_! THAT'S ALL I WANTED! I NEVER ASKED FOR _ANY_ OF THIS! OR FOR ANY OF _YOU_!" he screamed and ranted, not willing to cease until the cold winds would force him to stop; they only egged him on. "This is beyond just being a Guardian, OR WHATEVER THE HELL I AM!"

He glared up at the moon. "THIS GOES STRAIGHT TO **_YOU_**! YOU TOOK BOTH OUR FAMILIES, SO WE'LL TAKE EVERYTHING THAT'S **_YOURS_**!"

The cold winds finally died down and Bunnymund just stood there in shock' he didn't know what to say, what to do. Everything Jack said made sense, and he was having a hard time finding evidence to contradict what he was saying. And it was too elaborate for just mild guesses and crazy speculation.

Jack floated back down to the ground, sighing. "But that doesn't matter," he said with an eye-twitch, an unnaturally peaceful smile on his face. "I'm perfectly happy about this... we''ll just exact our revenge and then everything will be right again. The Moon can't exist without his cronies, after all, can He?"

He laughed and pointed his staff at Bunnymund. He swallowed and said, "That means you'll have to die too, Frostbite."

"Think I don't know that, Bunny?" he laughed quietly. "Death brushed past me last time and I survived. I do plan to take my life, if you're wondering, and let Pitch finish this. He was never subjected to the Moon." The Guardian Hope winced at the bitter truth in his tone. "He can do it. He'll set everything right. Besides, it's not like being a bunny is all that wonderful of a life, is it?" he laughed again, accompanied by another eye-twitch.

Bunnymund was frozen now, unable to move. "I'll tell the other guys you said hello. Sorry to do this, Bunny... you were a little okay, actually." He smiled sadly, his staff glowing blue. "But this is goodbye."

Bunnymund still said nothing. After a long silence, he closed his eyes and relaxed. "If you really think this will help you, Frostbite..." He threw his boomerang aside. "Just... just make sure the kids get out of here okay, got it?"

"I don't want them hurt if I can help it," Jack admitted, staring at Bunnymund with a vicious curiosity. "But if they're in the way, I'll try and get them out. If it makes you feel better."

"A bit," he chuckled. "Good luck, Frostbite."

"Thanks."

And a few minutes later, Bunny was frozen solid, head bowed and ears tucked down. His eyes were closed. A frozen tear slipped down Jack's face. He sighed and turned away. He had to get Jamie and Sophie out of here. He made a promise. And even if he was under Pitch's influence, a lot of it was his own. But he had to make sure they knew nothing of him, of the Guardians, of the Moon.

He made it to the room of the two children and Jamie bolted upright. "Good news, kiddo," he said, "You're getting out of here."

In his pocket were two cases of teeth. Jamie had already lost all of his. Sophie had a way to go in losing teeth, but no one would care to collect those teeth after this. "Jack?" he asked warily. "What are you doing?"

"Pitch said you two are under me. I'm doing what I think is right." he smiled and grabbed Jamie's case of teeth from inside his pocket. "I'd say don't forget me, Jamie Bennet... but I won't be around for much longer."

Jamie looked alarmed, and moved over to Jack. He looked so much like that little boy he used to be, so innocent and full of life despite the dried blood trailing down his face. "Jack... please... I don't want to forget you..."

He picked Jamie up in his arms. "Hey, it doesn't matter now. Everything's gonna be okay. Just close your eyes, okay? You still trust me, right?" Jamie nodded slowly, hesitantly, and Jack laughed. His eye twitched. "Even after all this... you're a fool Jamie. You're an adorable fool." He pulled him into a hug and Jamie flung his arms around Jack's neck.

"Please, Jack..."

Jack's free hand went to his hoodie pocket. He grabbed the tooth case and began to freeze it over with dry ice. So cold it would burn. He pressed a kiss to Jamie's forehead. "See you, kiddo." In a few minutes, his body went limp in Jack's arms, and the teeth were no more; their memories were no more. He set him on the bed next to Sophie. They both looked so deathly pale, sleeping like that.

He grabbed the snow globe on the dresser. "Burgess," he said, throwing it to the ground. They wouldn't remember, and Jack would never forget. He gently carried them through, setting them down outside a small shop. They were found in minutes by worried locals. His job done, Jack Frost returned back to the lair. Pitch was waiting for him with a grim expression. His job was also done.

Pitch took Jack's hand and led him into the sky. It was a dark night, only lit by the face of the moon. And they were on their way.


	16. Chapter 16 (IMPORTANT NOTE AT END)

Nightlight stood outside of the familiar large white room. He held a case of teeth in his hand. No one had noticed it was gone; neither of them had. If teeth held memories, then getting rid of them would erase them all. And that was how things had to end. He threw it to the ground and lifted his spear, one of the only things that could pierce these boxes.

He stabbed it through the case. The Man in the chair watched, and the girl on the bed twitched in her sleep. He stabs them again. Punctures the case and a few more teeth. He stabs it again and again and again until there's a blinding flash of light and the case is nothing more but smoldering metal on the white ground.

The warrior's hand falls to his side wearily. "It is done."

The Man nods in approval. Nightlight looks over at the girl on the bed. "What is to be done with her?"

The Man folds his arms, considering his options. "She will be disposed of, as will Jack. He is already declining at the moment, so it won't be much longer. Pitch... I can handle that myself."

Nightlight turns to face his master. "Do you think it is not wise, my Lord, to simply kill all of them? It is brutal. What o the hopes and dreams for children?"

The Man shakes his head and stands up. "That's the thing about dreams, Nightlight. They don't come true. They're far-fetched and ridiculous, they're not much of anything. Not enough people here have the determination enough to achieve their dreams... and very few of them are admirable in their quest."

Nightliht went over to the bed, picking up the unconscious girl. "Then, what is to be done?"

"They are to be annihilated, of course."

Nightlight should have expected it, but the shock that came still threw him off a little. After a few moments of tense silence, he nodded. "Yes, your Highness."

He leaves the moon again, mind reeling. He doesn't know what he can do to stop this. Jack Frost is dying now, Pitch is next, and the Guardians are gone too. Was there nothing that he could do? He was loyal to his master; but this, this was not the answer.

He flew down to Burgess lake, hidden from the Moon while he was in the trees. He set the little girl down on the ground and covered her with a blanket he quickly conjured. He didn't want her to freeze to death. "Stay here, little one," he whispered to the sleeping girl. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He gave her onelast lingering stare. This girl was his last hope. Maybe, maybe, with her help, he could stop everything and turn it back to how it was before...

But it was all up to him now.

And thus, Nightlight departed the forest with a mission.

**END, PART 1**

* * *

**A/N:  
**Okay. I know you guys are going to hate me for this. But this is the end of the first part of the story. Yep! Surprise, surprise. Sorry this is short, but I'm on a bit of a time crunch at the moment and I wanted to get it up. I will be working on the second part for this story, but I do not know when it will be posted. Probably within one or two months, MAYBE a bit longer.

Thank you all so much for sticking with this story. I LOVE YOU! *kisses and hugs*


	17. AUTHOR'S NOTE

I'm really sorry but I have absolutely no idea when the sequel for this will be posted. I've run into a huge case of writer's block for this story and I don't know when I might be able to post it. I am also putting more effort into other stories that the ideas are fresher for.

Unfortunately, I have no idea if I'll be able to continue this or not. I'm very, very sorry, everyone! ;~;


End file.
